To Remember Again
by Ibaraz
Summary: SG-1 find themselves in a dire spot when they lose their memories on an alien planet. The villagers claims that Jack, Sam and Daniel belong there, but all is not what it seems. The struggle to remember their true lives now begin. Sam/Jack.
1. Making New Acquaintances

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Chapter 1: Making New Acquaintances

Jack fiddled with a loose thread on his green BDU's as he stood leaned back against a tree trunk. Not too far away from him stood Daniel talking to a few of the alien planet's inhabitants. They'd told Jack and the others of SG-1 the name of this planet and their race, but Jack had forgotten both shortly after, not because he didn't care, he just didn't… well, alright, he didn't care, but that was just because this was proving to be a planet that Daniel would very much enjoy.

Already when they'd arrived through the Stargate, Jack had known Daniel would be giddy as a 12-year-old as his eyes had landed on ruins near by, and sure enough, Daniel hadn't wasted a second before moving over to them, exclaiming archeological stuff that Jack had only half-listened too.

About an hour after arriving, a few people had walked up to them, seemingly startled to see strangers on their planet, they didn't seem too well advanced and had gasped as Carter had explained how they'd gotten there in the first place.

Now, thirty minutes after the aliens' arrival, Jack was more then bored. One of the alien people had run off to bring their chief or significant other leader and they still hadn't returned.

Jack stretched a little to relieve some kinks in his back and turned to Teal'c who stood stoically by his side, ever holding his staff weapon tightly in his big hand.

"So, what do you think about them, T?"

Teal'c considered Jack's question briefly before inclining his head, "I do not believe I have known these people long enough to form an opinion of them, neither have I exchanged enough words to form one."

"A simple 'I don't know' would have been enough," Jack said and instead turned to Carter, who'd also given up talking to the aliens when Daniel had begun asking questions about the ruins.

"Carter?"

"I'm with Teal'c on this one, sir," was her reply from the small rock she was sitting on, though she at least offered him a small smile.

"Of course you are," Jack nodded, his back was beginning to ache from the position but he wasn't sure he dared move much more for fear that Daniel would notice and bring him into the conversation.

He was saved, however, by the arrival of several other aliens. Jack took in their appearances behind his black shades, they wore the same thing as the others. Simple cotton clothes in plain colors. There was one though, the leader, Jack guessed, who wore slightly different clothes. The man wore, besides simple trousers and shirt, a coat made of leather and he also had some sort of ring on his right hand. This new guy joined Daniel and the small alien gang and soon Daniel left to let them talk in privacy.

Daniel strolled across the grass, a huge smile on his lips and Jack groaned internally at what he knew was to come.

"Jack," Daniel said as he came to a halt before the colonel. "These people are incredible."

"They don't seem to special to me…"

"No, no. They're not. But this guy, Gilead, told me about these ruins. He said they'd been here long before their people arrived here, and they'd already been abandoned then. Jack, these are _Ancient_ _ruins_."

Jack glanced over at the ruins, "How can you tell? I can't see any difference to other ruins…"

"Jack," Daniel said, all the sudden looking very serious. "I'm an archeologist. I'm supposed to know."

"Ah, right. Carry on then."

"Right. Gilead also mentioned that long ago, many years before he was born, there was a strange spaceship here with aliens on it who, according to the legend, had glowing eyes."

"Goa'ulds," Teal'c pointed out and Daniel nodded fervently.

"Exactly. He said that the Goa'ulds had proclaimed that they were gods and that the people should worship them."

"Woah, hold on!" Jack said, his hand coming to rest on his P-90. "Should we be worried about snakeheads popping up?"

"No, Jack, as I was just about to say… the Goa'ulds didn't manage to make these people their slaves."

"Did he say why not, Daniel?" Carter asked, standing up next to Daniel.

"Well, no," Daniel said, still with an excited grin. "He wasn't sure. But I'd like to find out how. Gilead mentioned a library filled with scrolls in their small village and said that perhaps I could search through those for some answers."

"So," Jack said and cast a glance at the aliens who seemed deep in discussion further away. "These… party people or whatever they were called, do you think they'll make good allies?"

Daniel pushed the edges of his glasses up the ridge of his nose. "_Bati_, Jack. Not even close."

Jack shrugged, "I tried."

"Well, I suppose. I mean, they're not technologically advanced at all, it seems, but still they managed to beat the Goa'ulds that attacked this planet many years ago. I'm really fascinated by this, I mean, it's a whole new mystery, just waiting to be solved. Maybe these people can teach us something we never knew in our quest against the Goa'uld, this could mean the advantage that we've been waiting for."

"…A simple yes would have been enough, you know."

Daniel sighed, "I know."

"Here they come," Carter warned as the aliens made their way towards them. Daniel moved to stand beside Jack as the man in leather coat stepped forward. Jack noted that the man was only a few years older then Jack himself but still seemed to have many more wrinkles. His eyes were an icy blue that seemed almost haunting to Jack.

"Hello," Jack offered. "Who are you?"

"I am chief Daman of the Hiralgoos family. But please, Daman will be enough," the man responded, his voice deep and alluring.

"Well, I'm colonel Jonathan O'Neill, Jack will be enough," Jack said and caught the amused glance from Carter on his left. "This is major Samantha Carter, doctor Daniel Jackson and… Teal'c."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow slightly but refrained from making a comment, Jack knew it must be torture for the big guy to keep so quiet.

"Jack, Samantha, Daniel and Teal'c," Daman repeated, looking at them all one by one to try and remember their names. "I welcome you to Batan. What, might I ask, is your quest here?"

Jack turned to Daniel as the younger man responded, "Eh, well, we're explorers so naturally we're here to explore. We're also trying to find technology or other advantages against an alien race called the Goa'ulds, eh, Gilead said you'd met some in the past. Possibly their leader was a system lord."

"Yes, Gilead mentioned that you knew what he was talking about. I am afraid I have no more answers then the ones Gilead gave."

"Ah, well, Gilead mentioned something about a library…"

"Indeed," Daman said and Jack raised his eyebrow at the familiar comment, he glanced over at Teal'c who hadn't even noticed Daman's choice of word.

"Perhaps I could take a look at it, he mentioned scrolls of ancient writings that you couldn't decipher, I'm a linguist and knows many languages, perhaps I'll be able to translate some of the writings," Daniel suggested.

"You must forgive me, explorers, but I am man protective of my people," Daman said. "Your arrival here has many people upset, it seems they are afraid you will harm them in some way."

Jack noticed the way Daman glanced down at his P-90 and Jack let go of it, from the corner of his eye he saw Carter doing the same with her gun.

"We mean you no harm," Jack said and tried to hide his grimace at the cliché.

"Colonel O'Neill's right," Sam said. "Perhaps we can make a trade to assure your people they will gain something too. Perhaps if you can share the knowledge of the ancient writings we can offer you information on how to evolve technologically."

"Do you mean that?" Daman asked, his wide blue eyes searching Carter's for an answer.

"She does," Jack responded. "I'm sure it's a trade our people would agree to."

Daman stood silently, pondering this for a few seconds before nodding, "Yes, perhaps. But I believe you should first meet my people, perhaps seeing you will help ease their anxiety."

"That would be great!" Daniel exclaimed, excited to be able to study these people up close.

"We are not a wealthy people but we can offer you food and shelter for at least a day if you would let us."

Jack hesitated, he'd rather go home to Earth for the evening but could see the sun about to set over the tree tops on the horizon and nodded, "I guess we could spend the night."

"Most delighting news, Jack," Daman smiled. "Come now, we must move before the burning orb goes too low."

* * *

Arriving in their village, Jack suddenly found himself remembering Edora, a planet on which he'd spent about a hundred days a few years back. The tree houses looked almost the same and the people were similarly advanced as well, which meant, not much. There wasn't a single technologic doohickey in the village and he was sure Carter was feeling the burn of that. Though Jack did see a weather mill in the distance and what appeared to be a simple irrigation system over a few fields south of the village. The occupation, Jack estimated, was closer to two hundred then one.

Daman led them through the village and several villagers stepped out of their houses to shyly watch them from a safe distance. Jack noticed how Sam friendly tried smiling at them, but got nothing but suspiciously frightened looks in return, her shoulders slouched the tiniest at this and Jack nudged her shoulder with his own. She turned to look at him and he smiled down at her. No words passed between them, but Jack knew his message of reassurance had come across as she smiled back at him.

The sun had set behind the trees by now and the evening was dark and calm. Daman suddenly stopped, making SG-1 stop behind him as well. He walked over to the closest house and opened the door.

"This is what I can offer you tonight, a simple house for the four of you," Daman said. "It is late and I am sure you are tired. I will send food for you here as soon as I can. Tomorrow I will wait for you in the house across the street, come as soon as you are ready."

"Thank you, Daman," Sam said as she walked in through the open door, followed by Daniel. Teal'c and Jack exchanged a look before following too.

The inside of the house was comfy and airy, very simple with few furniture but still it was a nice house. They checked the house out once and found that it had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a small living room.

"Alright, let's team up for the night. Carter, you and Daniel take one bedroom. Teal'c, you and I take the other. After they've brought us food we try and get a few hours of sleep, in the morning we'll see what they'll have planned for us."

* * *

Jack awoke in the middle of the night, after having tossed and turned for awhile in his bed. He stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds before sitting up, against the wall on the opposite side of the room leaned Teal'c, deep in kel'no'reem. Jack heaved a sigh and climbed out of his bed, padded barefoot across the boards and opened the door. He peaked out from the room and stepped out, carefully closing the door behind him.

"Sir?" a voice whispered and Jack turned around to see a sleepy Carter standing in the doorway of her and Daniel's room.

"Carter?" Jack whispered back. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep," she offered and Jack nodded in understanding.

"Me too."

"Were you planning on going anywhere?" Carter asked.

"Nah, it was either sit around out here or take a walk."

"I could go for a walk," Sam whispered with a smile.

"Alright then, a walk it is," Jack smiled back.

Both headed towards the door but stopped short as they looked out through the window, there was a heavy downpour outside.

"… I wouldn't mind staying in after all, sir."

"Me neither, Carter."

* * *

The following morning Daniel woke up, feeling relaxed and well rested. As he sat up in bed he noticed how the room was void of Sam, he frowned slightly before scratching his scalp. He yawned tiredly as he put on his glasses and stood from his bed. He accidentally slammed his foot into the nightstand and cursed lightly as he wobbled over to the door. He opened it and stepped into the living room, he stopped short at the sight in front of him. On the sofa in the middle of the room sat Jack and Sam, sleeping soundly. Sam's head was resting against Jack's shoulder, and Jack's was leaned against the top of her head.

Daniel frowned in confusion, still trying to figure out how they'd both ended up out here when suddenly Teal'c stepped out from the kitchen.

"I found them in that position when I stepped out also, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, his voice lower then normal. "I believed it best not to wake them until you woke up."

"Good," Daniel said. "Good. But, eh, I think Daman wants us to meet him as soon as we can. Perhaps we ought to wake them."

"Indeed," Teal'c said and strode over to the couch, gently placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. "O'Neill, it is most functional that you wake up."

Jack grumbled something before slowly opening his eyes.

"Teal'c?" Jack rasped tiredly. "What are you doing, buddy?"

"I am attempting to wake you and major Carter."

"Carter?" Jack asked and turned sideways, only to have his line of sight be intruded by blonde hair. So that explained the extra weight on his shoulder. "Don't worry, T. I got it from here."

Teal'c bowed his head before joining Daniel who had now moved into the kitchen to eat some of the leftovers from the previous night.

"Carter," Jack whispered and shrugged his shoulder slightly, hoping the movement would wake her up. She snuggled closer briefly, Jack knew the exact moment she woke up as she suddenly came completely still against his shoulder.

"Sir?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled against his shirt.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to keep his voice innocently detached.

Sam pushed back from him and sat up, it took all of Jack's willpower not to reach up and flatten her wild morning hair.

"Good morning," he said instead.

Sam smiled sheepishly back, "Morning."

"Sam, Jack," Daniel called from the kitchen. "We should be getting ready, Daman is expecting us."

Sam and Jack nodded and both joined the others in the kitchen for breakfast. After their short 'intake of nutrition', as Teal'c called it, the four of them walked out of the house and across the road.

"At least it's stopped raining," Jack commented.

"Raining?" Daniel asked. "When did it rain?"

"During the night, Daniel," Sam offered as Jack jumped up the two steps to the house and knocked on the door. Jack turned back to the others as the door opened.

"Jack, Teal'c, Daniel, Samantha," Daman greeted and Jack wondered why he bothered to say all the names. "Good morrow to you."

"Morning to you too, Daman," Jack nodded.

"I had a short talk with the lower council last night, they believe I do not have to discuss this with them, I am free to decide myself," Daman said.

"…Oh?"

"You are welcome to use our library, Daniel," Daman said, turning to the archeologist, but then he turned to Sam. "But I would still very much like if you could give us the information you offered to give us yesterday, I would like to show my people that they've earned something from this."

"Consider it done," Jack said. "Carter and I will contact our people as soon as we can, it'll be a fair trade."

* * *

Jack took wide steps as he stepped through the knee-high grass, on his right side strolled Carter, taking almost as wide steps as him. They walked in silence as the wind blew through the grass, making it flow back and forth in an almost rhythmic dance. Jack watched it play for a second before turning his attention to his 2IC, who seemed lost deep in thought. Jack wondered if she ever did stop thinking, even for a moment.

"What you thinking about?" Jack asked finally and Sam's head whipped in his direction. Her blue eyes shone in the sunlight and her blond hair shone too beneath the warm rays.

"Nothing much, sir."

"Oh, come on, Carter."

"I'd just bore you, sir."

"Try me," he half-dared and saw her eyes twinkle.

"Alright, I was thinking about an experimenting I was planning on performing back home on the naquadah beam reactor, I was considering reversing the polarity of the core to-"

"Ah!" Jack interrupted. "You were right, I'm bored."

Her grin widened briefly before fading slightly as they reached the gate. Sam began dialing home as Jack pulled out his GDO to enter their iris code. The gate swooshed alive before settling as Jack transmitted the code.

He pushed the buttons on his radio and spoke into it, "Colonel O'Neill to the SGC, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, son," was George Hammond's reply over the radio. Sam walked over to Jack as the colonel continued,

"Yeah, sir, we've come across friendly aliens on PX9-653 that might have a weapon or other to defeat the Goa'uld, Daniel's investigating it now, sir."

"Do you have any idea how long it might take, colonel?"

Jack glanced over at Sam, who shrugged back.

"Negative, sir. But this might take awhile, probably a few days, maybe even a week."

"Understood, colonel."

"There's one more thing, sir. We agreed to a trade, we get to see all their information about whatever gave them an advantage over the Goa'ulds and we give them information about some technological stuff."

"They're not so advanced," Sam added, speaking into her own radio. "I was thinking we give them basic stuff now, in a few years they might have improved to get more advanced knowledge. We could make this a lasting alliance, sir."

"That shouldn't be any trouble, major. I'll send some simple blueprints and designs through."

The wormhole disengaged and Jack let go of his radio, now they just had to wait.

* * *

Upon returning to the village Jack felt as if he was being watched and turned around to see if anyone was close, over by a house he saw a woman a few years younger then him. Her hair was brown and frizzy with curls, in her eyes shone an unmasked desire that made Jack want to bolt out of there faster then Carter could say 'naquadah generator'. He cleared his throat and avoided the confused look Carter threw his way.

"Let's see how Teal'c and Daniel are doing," he said, almost gruffly and steered his way forward. Halfway to the library they were met by Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel once again had a gigantic grin on his lips.

"What now, Daniel?" Jack asked as he and Carter came to a halt before them.

"Incredible, Jack, just incredible."

"Yes, I believe you've already used that word once."

"Daman came to Teal'c and I earlier, Jack. He said he'd thought of something that might interest us all. Something about a cave with technology."

"What technology?" Sam asked quickly, jumping at the sound of something she found interesting.

"I don't know yet. Daman is supposed to meet us in a few minutes to take us there. He said the technology is useless to them and has been for quite awhile, they can't seem to get it to work."

"Sir, with your permission, maybe I-" Sam began.

Jack quickly interrupted with a nod, "-can make it work. I know. Let's not jump to any conclusions until we've seen this... machine-thingy though."

"I believe Daman is arriving," Teal'c said, looking over Jack's shoulder.

Jack turned around and saw Daman and a few other villagers Jack didn't recognize walk towards them.

"Samantha, Jack, glad to see you have returned. How did it go with your people?"

"They've agreed to it," Jack said and handed the papers he'd been carrying to Daman.

Daman watched the papers in fascination, "What is this?"

"That is information on how to build a watermill, which you already know how to, but also how to use that knowledge to make a power source for future electric advances," Sam offered.

It was obvious that Daman was unaware of what Sam was talking about but nodded nonetheless, "For this, our people thank you. Now I wish to return the favor. Come, we have a lot of ground to cover, we must climb to the top of the mountain."

* * *

A few hours later, SG-1 and the villagers had reached the peak of the mountain, the way had been steep and they'd slipped a few times but they'd all arrived at the top unharmed. Daniel helped pull Sam up a final steep place before stepping forwards. In the mountain was a wide entrance, a gigantic hole illuminated by two torches. Jack frowned at the torches and leaned towards Teal'c to whisper, "If they can't get it to work anyway, why keep lights up here?"

"I do not know, O'Neill. But it is a fair question," Teal'c spoke back, also in a whisper.

"Let us move inside," Daman said and gestured with his hand for the others to follow him.

Daniel and Sam stepped forwards first with Jack and Teal'c following a bit reluctantly.

The pathway was only wide enough for a single line but the rocky path soon widened and they found themselves in a vast room, illuminated by several torches. In the middle of the room stood a raised platform with, what appeared to be, a pillar in the center.

The pillar glowed a bright orange color, pulsing as if it had a heartbeat. Several frosty blue spikes glowed through the orange color and Jack found the whole thing kind of... bizarre. He cocked his head sideways as he watched the pillar-like thing, next to him Daniel stepped over to a wall to read some kind of inscription.

"What does it say?" Sam asked, stepping up next to Daniel.

"It's Ancient writing, Sam," Daniel mumbled. "It says something along the lines of 'machine of change', no wait… that's not the word for change, it's, eh… what is that word? Adjusting? Modification? Something along those lines anyway."

Jack glanced at the machine again before turning to Daniel and clearing his throat, "Does it say what it can do?"

"No… not what I can tell."

"Too bad."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Sir, if I may?" Sam asked, pointing at the machine.

Jack nodded and Sam and Daniel moved towards the machine. Sam glanced at Daniel briefly before stepping up onto the platform, nothing happened and she stepped closer to the core. She took up an energy reader from the chest pocket of her vest, "It's emitting a lot of energy, sir. It's working."

"We know it's working, Samantha," Daman spoke up from Teal'c's right. "We just do not know how or what it does."

"Neither do I," Sam admitted.

"Jack?" Daniel spoke up suddenly, looking intently at the pillar.

Jack and Teal'c exchanged a look before both stepped forward onto the platform to stand beside Daniel and Sam.

"What is it, Daniel?"

"I don't think this is a good machine, Jack," Daniel said distantly and lifted his finger to point at the pillar. "This here is an inscription of fear, I think someone might have been trapped in it. You know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"It's not Ancient writing," Daniel said and turned towards Daman who looked innocently back at him. "This is your people's writing."

"Indeed, it is," Daman said, his voice suddenly cold and cruel. He raised his hand and Jack moved quickly to jump off the platform but was stopped by an ice blue force field that surrounded the platform, trapping SG-1 within. Jack looked down at Daman and saw what appeared to be some kind of hand device in his palm.

"Carter?" Jack asked.

"It's not Goa'uld, sir," Sam responded. "It looks almost Ancient."

"I am not aware of these Ancients you speak of," Daman said. "But I am aware that I can control this machine. All I have to do is think of something, and it does as I ask."

"Look here, Daman, you better release us or I'll-" Jack threatened but was soon interrupted.

"You'll what?" Daman asked. "Shoot yourself? Please don't, Jonathan. I have far greater plans for you."

Daman raised his hand again and the pillar suddenly pulsed more fiercely, a giant energy wave struck out from it and knocked into the four teammates of SG-1.

Jack saw Sam falling towards the ground and tried to stop her fall before feeling darkness consume him as well, densely he was aware that Daniel and Teal'c too had been knocked out before the darkness entirely consumed him.

* * *

_TBC... _

_I hoped you liked the beginning of this story, which I hope will keep you much entertained as it continues.  
Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this, the first chapter :)._


	2. Wake Up

_A/N:_ _A few notes about this story: _

_1. Jonathan - Jack  
Samantha - Sam  
Daniel - ...well, Daniel. :P._

_2. I'm still just getting started, so be patient with me._ :).

_3. This is a Sam/Jack fic, so expect that in future chapters, sorry Sam/Daniel shippers... _

_4. Thank you guys for reviewing on my first chapter! You rock!_

_sammie77 - well, hello again! Thank you, hope you like this too. :)._

_Disneynut - Oh, there's a lot in store for them... But I don't want to spoil anything ;)._

_gater62 - Thank you! Hope you like the second one as well, it's always a pleasure to write for SG-1._

_Devilish Me - :D. Thank you!_

_not a zatarc - Yes! I'm entertaining someone! It worked! ;). :)._

_Kara Thrace - I know it's been done before, but as you said, it still leaves room for originality. There's so many ways to handle a story like this, I just hope it works for me too. :). Thank you for commenting my style etc., it's nice to know it's working :)_

_JustHorsenAround010 - Thank you! Chapter 2 is here!_

_Allie108 - Another familiar face! :D. Thank you very much! I hope you like this too!_

_ALIMOO1971 - Hey there! Was this update soon enough? :P._

_HAZMOT - :D, Hey again! Oh, Daman does have SG-1 exactly where he wants them..._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Wake up**

"Jonathan," a voice called for him. He waved the voice away, not wanting to wake up. This place was nice, a bit dark perhaps, but nice. He had no desire to leave it as it gave him peace, but the voice was persistent.

"Jonathan, come now, friend. Wake up."

_Jonathan_. He'd always hated that name, that's why he insisted on being called… He stopped his line of thought, _called what_?

He couldn't remember. As a matter of fact, he couldn't remember anything. He tried to remember his date of birth, his occupation, his hobbies, but nothing came to mind. _Nothing. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Not. A. Thing…_

Wait a minute, that couldn't be right, could it? He should be remembering things, he should know who he was… So, why didn't he?

Reluctantly he realized that the voice that had called for, what he must assume, him, might have some answers and so he fought to open his eyes, finding it difficult to move through the haze that hovered over him.

Finally he managed to pry one eye open, and then the other. He blinked a few times to clear the haze and then looked up at a man he had no idea who he was. The man seemed young, with luminous green eyes and a kind, welcoming smile.

"Good day, Jonathan," the man said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"Listen, I don't know who you are, or who I am for that matter," he began. "but I don't like this one bit and if you would kindly let me go I'd-"

The stranger held up his hands and calmly interrupted, "Relax, Jonathan. Let me explain everything."

'Jonathan' (well, he figured he might as well play along) considered his options and then nodded briefly, waiting for the stranger to explain.

"My name is Boupo," the man said. "I am a healer in this, the city of Batan, and you, friend, are injured."

"I don't remember being injured."

"I believe you are suffering from amnesia, memory loss, Jonathan," Boupo said, a worried look in his eyes. "Can you remember anything?"

Jonathan tried again to remember but once more came up short, "Nope. Nothing."

"I am sorry this happened to you, Jonathan," Boupo said, his eyes shining with sadness that Jonathan wasn't sure he understood. "I really am."

"…it's not your fault?" Jonathan tried, hoping to ease the younger man's sorrow.

"Oh no, it isn't," Boupo said cryptically and Jonathan frowned.

"What are you taking about?" Jonathan asked.

Boupo looked at him for a few seconds, his eyes searching Jonathan's, but in the end, Boupo turned his eyes away from him. "You are in the healers house, Jonathan."

"Is that so?" Jonathan asked as he moved to sit up in his bed, he pushed the thin cotton covers down a bit and sat up, Boupo arranged the pillows and Jonathan leaned back against them, thankful to be able to see Boupo more clearly. Jonathan moved his eyes away from the healer and glanced around the house, he had no memory of this place. The wooden walls were simple, a bureau stood further away and on the wall that Jonathan's bed stood against, also stood several other empty beds in a row. Though, he noticed, two other beds were occupied in the room, but besides from that, there was no one else in there.

"The healers house, you say?" Jonathan asked, turning back to Boupo.

Boupo nodded, "Yes."

"So, how'd I end up in here? …Did I mess with a bigger guy while waiting for lunch?"

"No," Boupo said with a frown, clearly not getting Jonathan's joke.

"Then what did I do, if you'd be so kind as to tell me?" Jonathan asked, finding his patience beginning to run short. He wanted answers and he wanted them know.

"I believe I can answer that," a dark voice said from the door, Jonathan's head whipped in the direction, he hadn't even notice the door opening.

"Well, good then. Let's get this show on the road," Jonathan said, clapping his hands together in mock excitement.

The man in the doorway chuckled lightly as he closed the door behind him, "Ah, Jonathan, always a joker."

"I try," Jonathan grimaced. "Who are you?"

"My name is Daman, I am the chief of Batan," the man said turning back to Jonathan, his long leather coat following his movements.

"Alright, that straightens that out," Jonathan nodded. "Now, who am _I_?"

"You are Jonathan," Daman said.

"Yes, so I've been told. But _who_ am I?"

Daman walked over to the bed and nudged Boupo's shoulder, Boupo bowed his head and quickly stood from his seat, allowing Daman to sit down at the feet of Jonathan's bed. Jonathan watched as Boupo silently left the room, never once raising his eyes until the door closed behind him. The room was silent for a few seconds as Jonathan tried to process the situation. Slowly, he turned back to Daman who was watching him expectantly.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"Nothing, friend," Daman said, smiling kindly.

Jonathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and decided to get right to the point, "Look, buddy Boupo here believed I have amnesia. I want to know why."

"You were caught in a cave-in up in the mountains," Daman began explaining. "You were up there with two others-"

"Two others?" Jonathan interrupted.

Daman nodded and turned his head in the direction of the other two occupants in the room lying peacefully on the beds Jonathan had already acknowledged. Jonathan turned to watch them again, wondering if they remembered anything about him seeing as he couldn't remember anything about them. One of them was a brown haired man and the other a blonde woman, Jonathan thought both looked familiar in a way that neither Daman or Boupo had.

"You went up to the cave to look for one of the children who had run off, you believed it had been cornered by a wolf and escaped up into a cave. As you entered, the cave collapsed over you, covering all three of you. We found you not long after and quickly brought you here. You need not worry, you will all three be fine in time."

"…And it was just the two of them with me?" Jonathan asked, faintly thinking he remembered a fourth person... A man… A friend...

"Yes, there was no one else," Daman said determinedly.

"Have they woken up yet?" Jonathan asked, nodding in the other two's direction.

"No, you are the first one to regain consciousness," Daman clarified.

Jonathan gazed once more at the other two, letting his gaze linger on the woman. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the door burst open, a woman with frizzy brown hair appearing in the doorway. Her brown eyes were wide with worry and she seemed beside herself of anxiety.

"…Hello?" Jonathan asked as the woman's eyes landed on him.

"Jonathan!" the woman breathed and threw herself forwards, crossing the room in a long stride and enveloping Jonathan in a tight hug. "I thought you were dead."

Jonathan felt uneasy as the woman kept her arms around him, not only was it an uncomfortable position for his back, he also had no memory of this woman.

"I'm sorry," he said and gently pushed the woman away from him. "But, who are you?"

The woman's eyes widened in chock, "You… you don't remember?"

"He is suffering from memory loss," Daman explained gently as the woman turned to him and then back to Jonathan again.

"So, you truly do not remember me?" the woman asked.

Jonathan squinted his eyes, trying hard to come up with any memories concerning the woman but still his mind drew a blank.

"I'm sorry, no."

"I am Kayla, I am your wife."

"My _what_?"

* * *

"Samantha," a voice called. "It is time for you to wake up."

She frowned, _was Samantha really her name_? She couldn't remember. Her mind was running a mile a minute but still she couldn't remember the name or what it might mean to her. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn't quite place it.

Slowly, Samantha opened her eyes and looked up into the face of a stranger.

"Hello, Samantha, nice of you to join us," the man said and then moved over to the other bed.

"Daniel," the stranger spoke to someone else. Samantha turned her head sideways and saw a man with short brown hair lying unconscious on the bed beside her own.

"Where am I?" Samantha groaned and rubbed her head, she had a headache and couldn't remember how she'd ended up here. Somehow, she felt, she'd had better days.

The other man in the bed beside her groaned too as he regained consciousness. The man repeated Samantha's question, "Where am I? Actually, a better question might be; '_Who_ am I?"

"You are both in the healers house," the stranger responded. "You are Samantha and Daniel."

"What are we doing here?" the man, Daniel, asked, trying to sit up in his bed but fell back down, reaching a hand out towards his leg as if in pain.

A fourth person stepped forward and Samantha saw how he tended to a bleeding wound on Daniel's leg, as he did, Samantha tried racking her brain for any memories of these people, but she couldn't think of any, though Daniel seemed familiar to her in some way.

"You were in an accident and seem to have lost your memories," the newest stranger explained. "I am Boupo and I'm a healer."

"We're in a healers house?" Samantha asked, repeating what Boupo had said before.

"Yes, very good, Samantha," the third man asked. "You should know after all, being a healer's apprentice and all. Perhaps your memory is coming back to you."

"What?" Samantha asked sitting up in her bed, she didn't remember anything of what the man had just described about her life. She leaned against the wall behind her and looked at the man who stood at the foot of her bed. He had a leather coat over simple cotton clothes and a smile that somehow didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked, his voice raspy with pain. Boupo wrapped a bandage gently around the wound and then placed the covers over Daniel's legs again.

"I am Daman, I am the chief of Batan," the man in leather coat responded.

"What happened to us, why do we have amnesia?"

"You were in an accident, as I've already said. You were in a cave when it collapsed over you. You were lucky to get out alive with minor injuries."

"Was anyone else-"

"Yes, there was a third person, Samantha."

"Who?" Samantha asked, even though she guessed the question was futile, she'd probably not remember the name anyway.

"A man named Jonathan was with you."

"Where is he?" Daniel asked. "Wasn't he wounded as well?"

"Indeed, he was," Daman said. "But he was released earlier this day while you were still unconscious. His wife could not wait to take him home."

"And when are we to be released?" Samantha asked, looking down at the white cotton dress she wore, she had a feeling she really didn't like dresses. Or at least, a feeling that she didn't usually wear them. She reached a tentative hand out to her hair, it reached a few centimeters below her shoulders. Samantha frowned, had it always done that? Somehow the length felt very odd.

"When I believe you have healed enough," Boupo said, interrupting Samantha's thoughts. "Do not worry, Samantha, it will only be a few hours more."

"I see…"

"I know this situation must feel futile to you, friends," Daman said.

"You don't say," Daniel muttered and Samantha smiled in sympathy.

"I agree with Daniel on this one," Samantha said. "Having no memories kind of… suck, for lack of a better word."

"No, no," Daniel said, turning to her, nodding slowly. "It's a good word."

"You should not worry, I am sure your memories will return in time," Boupo said encouragingly. "And then you will be able to go on with your merry life and joyous plans."

"…What are you talking about?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"Ah, we were hoping you might have remembered that part at least," Daman said, exchanging a look with Boupo, "for you see, the two of you are to be married shortly."

Samantha's eyes widened in shock and her head whipped around to look at Daniel, who looked back with an equal amount of surprise. Neither one had expected that and neither was sure how to feel about that piece of news. Samantha shrank back against her pillows, yep, she was sure she'd had better days.

* * *

_TBC…_


	3. Conversations

_A/N: And here we have a speedy update with Chapter 3! I just wrote it and couldn't sit on it for long. It will probably be a while longer before the next chapter, but enjoy this in the meantime. :)._

_Reviewers: Thank you!_

_sarcasmqueen66 - Thank you! :D._

_Allie108 - I know! I don't think Sam/Daniel belong together, and in this story, neither do them. :P. Imagine the awkwardness there... The other lady, with frizzy hair, is Kayla: Jonathan's wife. Ah, the wonders of OC's. _

_Leilina - I agree totally on the S/D thing, they really are kind of like brother/sister. S/J you get a bit already in this chapter!_

_PatriciaS - Yes, Teal'c... what ever happened to that big guy? He's kind of hard to hide you know. ;). _

_ALIMOO1971 - What are they playing at? Oh, I can't tell you already! ;). _

_not a zatarc - Yes! Expect the unexpected! ;)._

_Devlish Me - Lol, thank you, I hope it's good too. :P._

_gater62 - I did say it would be S/J. :)._

_?? - Thank you, I kind of like that I thought of it too. I have my moments, you know. ;)._

_I'm sorry if there're any typos, I don't have time to fix them right at this minute. But I promise to check it once more tonight._

Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Conversations**

Drums played in the background as Jonathan leaned back against a wall, a pint of something he'd been promised was alcoholic beverage in his right hand. Jonathan breathed deeply and took his time to inspect the happy people around him. He found himself easily surveying the surroundings, assessing the situation without a second thought, and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been trained to do that since it seemed to come so naturally to him.

The sun had settled below the mountains several hours ago and now there was a party to celebrate the recovery of Jonathan and the other two who'd been with him. Jonathan tried to rack his brain for the two names, but couldn't quite remember them. He'd tried remembering things all day with his 'wife', Kayla had told him several things about their lives together.

Apparently, they'd been married for closer to five years and were living happily in their own little cottage, Jonathan had no memory of this and still felt awkward around the woman who insisted on calling herself his wife. He'd felt relieved when she'd told him about the feast, it meant that he'd get away from just having to spend alone time with her for a few hours and get to talk to other people. He'd hoped this would help jog his memory, but so far he remained none the wiser. He hadn't recognized a single person, though most had greeted him as if they were old friends.

Suddenly two new people stepped into the town hall and Jonathan recognized immediately that he knew these two and their names came rushing back to him in an instant.

_Daniel. Samantha_.

He recognized both as the two who'd been up with him in the cave-in, he remembered having seen them in the healers house, and he also had the distinct feeling that he knew them from something else too, he was not sure what though. Daniel and Samantha stood in the entrance a few seconds, looking hesitant to enter.

Eventually they were pulled in by the other villagers who greeted them with loud cheers and congratulated them on something Jonathan couldn't hear, but whatever it was it had both Daniel and Samantha looking uncomfortable.

Jonathan noticed Daniel limping slightly and wondered if that had something to do with the cave-in, he filed that question away in his head to ask later as his eyes stayed on the couple that now had moved further into the massive hall, surrounded by happy people, people that had long since passed the edge of soberness.

Jonathan's surveying eyes kept with the couple and suddenly the blonde woman looked up at him, Jonathan felt as if his heart stopped beating for a second as her blue, intense eyes met his across the room. There was something so familiar about them, and he felt something deep inside of him stir.

Samantha held his eyes a few seconds before turning to Daniel and whispering something in his ear, Daniel looked up at Jonathan too and Jonathan raised his pint as a greeting. Slowly, Daniel and Samantha made their way over to Jonathan and his corner. As they came to a stop before him, they looked down at him almost expectantly.

"Are you Jonathan?" Samantha asked at last, breaking the silence that hovered over the three of them.

"I am," Jonathan answered, chancing a glance at her. "And you're Daniel and… Samantha."

Daniel nodded and sat down in a chair, rubbing his leg as he did. Samantha hesitated a second longer before following Daniel and sat down in a third chair, leaning her arms on the table between them.

"I know this is going to sound weird but, eh," Daniel began. "do you remember anything? About your life I mean?"

Jonathan frowned, _how'd this man known he didn't_? "No. Can't say that I do. …Why?"

"Well, you see, neither do we," Daniel continued, his blue eyes shining with contemplation.

"You don't remember anything?" Jonathan asked and the other two shook their heads. "That's… weird."

"It is," Samantha nodded in agreement. "But maybe we can remember together? After all, Daman said that it had been the three of us up in that cave together."

"Yeah, well, that's a good idea," Jonathan said. "Except, I don't remember anything that can help jog my memory. I don't remember any cave or cave-in or whatever."

"But apparently it happened," Daniel pointed out, scratching his scalp. "You know what I find weird?"

"What?" Samantha asked.

"That we all got out of that supposedly dangerous cave-in without major injuries…"

"I don't know," Sam began. "_You _were hurt pretty badly."

Daniel distantly rubbed his leg again, "True. But still, a cut like that and no other abrasions? On any of us? I mean, we should be covered in cuts and scrapes, but we're not. I just think it's weird, is all."

"You know what I find weird?" Jonathan asked. "That we all have amnesia. That's got to be weird on more then one level."

"Yeah, well, what can we do about it?" Samantha asked, shrugging to herself. "We just have to try and regain our memories in any way we can think of, hopefully things'll return to us in time."

Jonathan opened his mouth to continue but stopped suddenly, his mouth hanging open, and slowly his expression turned to a frown.

"…What?" Samantha asked.

"Do you get a strange feeling of having done this before?" Jonathan asked, waving his hands in the space between them. Daniel and Samantha exchanged a glance before shrugging back at him.

"I don't think I've ever suffered from amnesia before, though… I can't remember," Daniel said, shrugging his eyebrows.

Jonathan nodded distantly, he wasn't sure why he'd had that thought. It had just popped into his head, like most of his thoughts did. No forewarning, it had just appeared, and then, of course, he hadn't been able to keep quiet. Somehow, he figured, he'd always been bad at that, keeping his thoughts silent, that is.

"Yeah, well, maybe it takes an amnesia to remember another amnesia," Jonathan suggested with a shrug as his mind went into overdrive, something he was definitely sure was a rare occasion. "There's a word for it, isn't there?"

"For what? Amnesia? I think _amnesia _is the word for amnesia," Daniel said, frowning in confusion.

"No, no. Not for that. I mean the feeling of having a feeling that you've been through something before."

"Ah," Daniel said. "_That_."

"No, I'm serious. Starts with a 'D'… at least I think it does…"

"DHD?" Samantha suggested, though she had no idea why.

"…No."

"Dormata?" was Daniel's suggestion.

Jonathan frowned, "What? Where did _that _come from? _No_. …What the hell kind of a language is that anyway?"

Daniel opened his mouth to respond but Jonathan saw the uncertainty in his eyes, finally Daniel shrugged, looking halfway to defeat, "I have no idea."

"Do you know what it means?" Samantha asked hopefully.

"…No. Not a clue."

The three of them fell silent again, but somehow, Jonathan felt, this wasn't something rare. There was no tension or uncertainty between them, it felt… comfortable, almost companionable, to be sitting here with Daniel and Samantha, like old times.

Jonathan's eyes traveled back to Samantha and he watched her silently, her eyes were gazing at the table top, though Jonathan was sure her attention was elsewhere. He opened his mouth to ask her about it, when suddenly a familiar face appeared in the joyous crowd around them. Jonathan barely managed to conceal his groan as Kayla stepped towards him, a giant grin upon her fair face.

"There you are," Kayla said as she reached Jonathan's side. "I've been looking for you a long time now."

"Then you must not have looked very hard 'cause I've been stationary here a long while," Jonathan said, offering a curt smile.

Kayla smiled back before turning to Samantha and Daniel, "Oh, Jonathan, you aren't occupying their time, are you?"

Jonathan saw how both Samantha and Daniel seemed to stiffen at this comment and he frowned in confusion, "What do you mean, Kayla?"

"Why, darling, they are to be married in a month. You should let them enjoy their last time together as free people, before the laws of marriage applies to them," Kayla said and without an invitation she took a seat in Jonathan's lap. Jonathan started to protest but Kayla didn't listen as she turned back to the young couple, "Oh, Jonathan, do you remember that feeling of being newly in love?"

"Not really, no," Jonathan said, subtly reminding her of his amnesia. Across the table he saw Samantha smiling in amusement at his barely contained irritation.

"Oh, I do hope your memory returns soon, Jonathan," Kayla said, patting his thigh in a very friendly matter that Jonathan wasn't sure he wanted to happen in front of a room full of people, not that he was sure he wanted it at all.

Thankfully, Kayla stopped suddenly and turned to Daniel, "Oh, Daniel, you are not yet married, you can still dance with other people. Will you do me the honor of sharing a dance with me, that is, if my husband is fine with it?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Jonathan said with a sigh of relief.

"Eh, thank you for the offer," Daniel said. "But I'm sorry, I can't."

"Why not?" Jonathan asked, peeking around Kayla's slim form to better see Daniel.

"Because I'm injured, Boupo asked me to keep from strenuous activities for awhile."

"Oh, that is a shame, Daniel," Kayla said and then jumped form Jonathan's lap, before Jonathan had a chance to celebrate the disappearance of the weight on his poor knees, Kayla spoke again, braking the joy effectively, "Then _you _must dance with me, husband."

Under loud protests, Kayla dragged Jonathan with her and into the crowd of people.

Samantha and Daniel exchanged a glance and both chuckled.

"That's one weird couple," Daniel said and Samantha nodded in agreement.

Samantha turned around in her chair to better be able to see Jonathan and Kayla, Jonathan stood mostly still as Kayla danced around him.

"I'm amazed she has such energy," Samantha said and Daniel turned around to look as well.

More then once, they saw, Jonathan turned in their direction, looking almost to the point of pleading with them to rescue him.

"Perhaps you should rescue him," Daniel suggested with a playful grin.

Samantha said, "I don't know if that's appropriate. The woman is his wife after all and I'm…"

"…my fiancée," Daniel finished her sentence before both of them fell silent.

Samantha glanced up at Daniel, it still felt weird to think of herself as his fiancée and in his thoughtful eyes, she saw he felt the same.

"Hey," Samantha said, breaking through Daniel's thought process. "How about I get us something to drink? What do you say?"

"Sounds good. I'll stay here, watch the table."

Samantha smiled as she stood up and brushed her fingers across the fabric of her dress to straighten a few wrinkles. The brown cotton dress was comfortable, but still it felt awkward to be dressed in something that didn't feel like it belonged to her, she felt as if she was stealing someone else's clothes. But earlier during the day, when she and Daniel had arrived to their modest house with a pigsty near by, Samantha had found this dress in the company of others in one of the drawers in the bedroom, so it was hers, she wasn't stealing someone else's life.

Now, as she moved through the crowd, Samantha thought that perhaps she just needed time to adjust to life again, tomorrow she'd work at the healers house with Boupo, to try and get right back to the swing of things. She hoped it would help her remember but still felt that if her own house hadn't helped her remember, why would work help her?

Suddenly, as she walked, she felt as if she was being watched. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and she was unsure how she knew that the one gazing at her was someone she trusted. Turning around to the crowd of dancing people, she saw Jonathan, still with a dancing Kayla, gazing at her with an unreadable look.

There was something in his brown gaze that had her reluctant to turn around, there was something so familiar about the moment that she felt unwilling to break it. Her heart beat faster as she realized Jonathan wasn't turning away from her.

_You're not supposed to_, a voice echoed in her head. _You can't. It's against the rules._

The feeling that she was doing something she wasn't supposed to grew within her until she finally turned around. She took a deep breath and continued her wander to the beverages.

* * *

The following morning, Samantha found herself in the healers house, along with Boupo. She still had no memory of the man, but he seemed honest and friendly and seemed willing to teach her things she'd supposedly forgotten in her amnesia. In the morning they had little work to do, as no one seemed to need their help, but as the day progressed she helped Boupo tend to a few cuts and bruises and even a few 'fishing accidents'.

Helping others made Samantha feel better, but it still didn't feel as if being a healer was anything for her. The lack of action and mental puzzles had her quite bored at the end of the workday, something which Boupo quickly caught up on.

"So, how're you doing?" he asked suddenly, as their last patient left, leaving the room void of anyone but the two of them.

"Me?" Samantha asked, turning to Boupo. "Oh, I'm fine. Still trying to remember, you know."

"And Daniel? How's he?"

"He's doing better, the wound's healing nicely."

"Good, and he's resting, I suppose?" Boupo asked.

"Yes, Boupo, just as the doctor requested," Samantha smiled. "He was a bit grumpy this morning that he wasn't freed for work, but stayed home nonetheless."

"That's good news, you can tell him that I'm sure it's just going to be a few more days," Boupo assured. "I just don't want to let him back onto the fields just yet, that kind of work is hard, even for someone uninjured."

"So, tell me, Boupo," Samantha began, clearing her throat before she continued. "I'm an apprentice healer and Daniel's a worker in the fields… what about that man Jonathan? What does he work with?"

"He is also a worker in the fields. And he is one fine builder too."

"Really?"

"Indeed, it was in fact he who built this place several years ago."

Samantha nodded and tried her hardest to repress a yawn, suddenly another thought occurred to her, "Hey, Boupo, there's something I've been meaning to ask."

"What, Samantha?"

"How's the child?" Samantha asked, remembering someone having mentioned that she, Daniel and Jonathan had gone into the cave to save a child.

"What child?" Boupo asked in confusion.

"The child that we were trying to find when we got caught in the cave-in," Samantha explained and didn't miss the look of confusion that danced across Boupo's face.

"Oh, _that child_. She is safe, she was found… further into the forest. She was unharmed, much to her parents relief."

Samantha nodded and stifled yet another yawn, this time Boupo saw her.

"You should go home, Samantha. Your body is still exhausted from the accident, you should get some rest."

"Yes, I believe I will," Samantha nodded and smiled at Boupo. She said her farewell to him and stepped out of the healers house and into the sunshine. She waved at a couple of villagers as she headed south. The village was rather large and several homes lay on the sides of the main street, though her and Daniel's house didn't. Their's wasn't the only one that lay a bit outside the village and she found that oddly comforting.

Casually, she strolled along the river, the grass bending beneath her feet as she walked. Soon the sounds of the village disappeared behind her and she could enjoy the sounds of the nature.

She hummed to herself as she released her hair from the braid it'd been in during the day and let it flow freely over her shoulders, she still felt unaccustomed to the length, but it was growing on her.

"Hey there!" she heard a voice calling and as she looked up, she saw Jonathan sitting by the edge, with a fishing rod in one hand. A tree nearby offered him only little shade and she wondered why he hadn't sat beneath the tree instead. She hesitated a second, remembering the feelings from the previous night but slowly made her way over to him.

"Good day, Jonathan."

"Yes, you too," Jonathan said, squinting up at her from his comfortable position.

They fell into an awkward silence that was nothing like last night and Samantha couldn't help but wonder if it was because of Daniel absence or because they were simply alone. Samantha watched as Jonathan's hand fiddled with his rod, as if wanting to get out of the awkwardness.

She cleared her throat, "I… should go. I don't want to bother you."

"You're not. Stay," Jonathan assured her. "Have a seat."

Samantha nodded but remained standing, she cleared her throat as she felt the awkwardness seeping back, "So, fishing? Any luck?"

"None, not even a nibble," Jonathan said. "You know, I think the fish are on to me."

Samantha giggled at his joke and Jonathan smiled back up at her.

"How was work?" he asked.

"Good," Samantha responded quickly. "It was good. Yours?"

"Same."

"Good."

"Yeah," Jonathan nodded and then decided to change the topic. "How's Daniel?"

"He's doing better, the wound's healing quite well."

"Good," Jonathan repeated her word.

"How's Kayla?" Samantha asked, though she wasn't sure she really wanted to know.

Jonathan cleared his throat, "She's fine… I think. I haven't really seen her today besides this morning before work."

Samantha smiled in amusement, "Are you hiding from her?"

Jonathan looked mock hurt at her suggestion and Samantha giggled again, Jonathan shook his head, "To tell you the truth, I kind of am. You have no idea how wrong it feels to spend time around a woman who's supposed to be your wife but you have no recollection, no memories, of ever having seen her before. The feelings just… aren't there you know."

Samantha nodded in understanding, glancing ahead at the direction of her and Daniel's house, "I know."

Once more, the awkward feeling hovered over them, waiting for their next moves. Jonathan fiddled with his fishing pole again and Samantha finally cleared her throat, Jonathan slowly turned to look up at her.

"I… really should go home. It was nice meeting you. Goodbye," Samantha said and with a final nod she walked past him, heading towards her house.

"Goodbye… Samantha."

Samantha stopped and glanced back at Jonathan, who innocently had turned back to his fishing, she hesitated for a second, before continuing on her path again, not turning back a second time.

* * *

_Notes: Jack's evidently remembering Beneath the Surface there, an episode which will be somewhat mentioned again._

_Also, the word 'Dormata' that Daniel suggests, is in fact from the episode Lost City. I just looked for D-words on Gateworld. net and came across that, it's the Ancient word for 'sleep', apparently. _

_The D-word Jack's looking for, btw, is Deja vu, if you hadn't realized. ;)._

_And here we also have a bit of Sam/Jack beginning..._


	4. Progressive Attempts

_A/N: Alright, here's Chapter 4! As always; a pleasure to write! It was great fun writing this, being able to actually see the characters reactions, even though I might not be able to get the message across in writing, the visual aspect of it all would have been great on camera. :).  
I'm going away for a few days now, I'm going to a friend's summer place, and so there probably won't be a new chapter until after Midsummer... But I think you can manage_ _without an update for awhile :)._

_Reviewers: Amaxing people, yes, you are!_

_Devilish Me - Thank you! Sam/Jack have a few moments here too, especially the final scene... ah, the joy to write. ;)._

_Liery - Thank you! :D._

_VisualIDentificationZeta - Before. Pete isn't in the game. Yeah, Sam/Daniel isn't my ship either, but it's all a matter of taste._

_Allie108 - I actually got the inspiration after having watched BtS (one of my favorite episodes). Teal'c? Oh, he's around...  
__  
gater62 - Yay! Thank you!_

_ALIMOO1971 - Teal'c? Why, everyone's wondering about Teal'c these days... ;). _

_not a zatarc - Yeah, I think their memories aren't coming back, but their feelings are. Who they are hasn't changed, they just can't remember anything..._

_.??. - Daniel's reaction to Sam/Jack? That's not really coming up yet... but you'll see. ;)._

_HAZMOT - Oh, you've given another insightful comment and I'm not sure how to respond without spoiling too much. But yes, I think who they are is still intact, they just have to actually remember who they are. Wow, that sounded weird, what a weird sentence... The other things you mentioned are hard to comment, but they are excellent points and/or questions. :P._

_CrazyBabiih - Gosh! Thank you very much!_

_Nyx Ro - I love writing for Daniel, he's really quite fun. XD. As I think we've come to agree, the S/J, S/D is a matter of taste, and not everyone can have the same taste. I'm still thankful that you're sticking with this story even though it's not your prefered pairing. :). And also, I hope your sanity remains intact. ;)._

_Cecilia Friesen - Thank you! I'm excited too! :D._

_Now, I hope you enjoy this story!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Progressive Attempts**

"Daniel, I'm home!" Sam called out as she stepped through the door to their house, she stepped into the wooden area that functioned as their small hall and then further into the house.

"Daniel?" she called out again when she didn't get an answer, she soon heard a quiet tapping sound and the door to the bedroom opened and Daniel stepped out, leaning on a cane.

"Hey," he greeted her. "How was work?"

"Good. It was good," Samantha nodded as she followed Daniel who was making his way to a brown couch in the living room. "Boupo said that you could be cleared for work shortly, but that you should be careful."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Daniel nodded, slowly sitting down on the couch with a huff.

"What have you done today?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. I stared at _that_ wall this morning and then I stared at the bedroom door for about an hour before you came home," Daniel said with a shrug.

"That boring, huh?" Samantha smiled.

"You have no idea. You know, I think I'd be able to handle it if there was just something to read around here, but there's nothing. I can't believe we don't own _any_ books."

"That is weird," Samantha nodded and took a seat in the couch as well. "I'd like to read something too, and if we both feel that way then it feels a bit… pointless for there not to be any books in the house."

"I know," Daniel groaned. "Perhaps I'll try walking to the library tomorrow, see if I can read any books there."

"You want me to walk you there?"

"I think I can walk on my own, Samantha," Daniel said, giving her a pointed look.

Samantha nodded in understanding, Daniel didn't want to feel completely useless, something which he must be having a problem with already, walking around with a cane and all.

"How was your day?" Daniel sighed after a few minutes.

"My day?" Samantha asked and shrugged innocently. "It was good. I helped Boupo heal a couple of people, nothing big. I'm still not feeling comfortable in the profession, but I suppose the memories will come back in time."

"Suppose so."

"Oh, and I met Jonathan."

"The man from the cave-in?" Daniel asked. "How was he?"

"He was good. He was fishing in the river, though he wasn't having much luck," Samantha smiled at the memory.

Daniel nodded and smiled briefly. The room fell silent and both felt the awkwardness creeping in through the walls. They had yet to talk about their so-called engagement, something which both knew they ought to as it was ever present around them.

Daniel watched Samantha for a few seconds, trying to read her thoughts and finding his efforts useless, he finally asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, you know," Samantha said, shrugging as she did. "us, I suppose."

"Ah…," Daniel said. "You mean our… _engagement_?"

"Yeah…"

"…Yeah, that's going to be… _this_ is going to be awkward. I mean, we have no memory of ever getting engaged. Or ever actually having met and fallen in love et cetera… It's all so twisted, I don't even know what to think."

"I know, me too. But what should we do?"

"Well, I've been thinking," Daniel said, clearing his throat. "That we should… pretend as if we weren't engaged."

"What do you mean?"

"Samantha… I don't know about you, but this feels uncomfortable. I think we should just try and remember our lives and not have to worry about being awkward around each other, I mean, that's not going to work for long."

"So, we'll cancel the engagement, at least for now?" Samantha asked cautiously, to her it sounded like a plan.

"Yep. You okay with that?"

"Yes. I think you're right. I think doing this as relaxed as possible will help our memories return. But what will we say to the others?"

"Nothing. They'll just question us, I think it's best if we keep this to ourselves," Daniel suggested.

"Yeah, and also, if we don't tell anyone, we'll be able to carry on with our lives without any difficult questions being asked…"

Daniel nodded and stretched out his hand towards Sam, "Are we in agreement?"

Sam chuckled at the gesture before shaking his hand, "We are."

"Good. That way, when or if or it turns out that we want to get married, we'll at least be on the same page and no one has to take the blame."

Samantha nodded and stood from the couch, "Do you want me to make us some dinner?"

Daniel's eyes widened, "Oh! I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"I made dinner already, it's in the kitchen. I made soup," the last part was said almost proudly.

"…You said you'd been staring at the bedroom door for the past hour, isn't it getting cold?"

"…Probably."

Samantha raised her eyebrows at Daniel who merely shrugged in response, "I suppose we could try eating it."

With those words, Samantha helped Daniel from the couch and together they walked into the kitchen. A small cauldron stood near a stove, Daniel sat down by the kitchen table as Samantha brought the cauldron over. She scooped up the cold brown soup and poured it into their plates before sitting down herself.

"Thank you," she said as Daniel handed her a spoon.

"I don't know how it'll taste, I mean… it's not like I remembered how to make it," Daniel smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sure it's fine…," Samantha said, watching the cold soup with barely concealed amusement.

"Well, here's to us, I suppose," Daniel said, raising his spoon high in the air. "and our friendship."

"To friendship," Samantha said before putting the spoon in her mouth. Across the table, Daniel did the same. Both froze at the same second and slowly gulped down their soup, placing their spoons on the table top. They exchanged a silent glance.

"Maybe the pigs will eat it," Samantha suggested.

Daniel snorted, "You wish."

* * *

Jonathan opened the door to his house and stepped inside, his fishing pole slung over his shoulder.

"Kayla?" he called carefully, grimacing a bit. He hoped the woman wasn't mad at him for having stayed away from home for almost the entire day, the sun was just about to set behind the mountains.

"Jonathan?" Kayla's voice floated back to him. "I'm in the kitchen, Jonathan. We're having soup tonight."

"Soup… great," he mumbled, depositing his pole by the front door and heading towards the kitchen. As he opened the door, a sweet smell reached his nose and his stomach growled in hunger.

"Oh, I think someone's hungry," Kayla said, having heard the sound. She smiled at him and he smiled sheepishly back.

"A bit, perhaps."

"Sit," Kayla encouraged and Jonathan sat down at the kitchen table, leaning back in his chair to get more comfortable. Kayla turned back to the stove, "How was work, dear?"

Jonathan cringed a bit at the term of endearment, "It was good. A lot of hard work, the others tried to get me to remember. They told me all these stories from my past."

"Did it work?"

"Nope. Not one bit."

"That is a shame," Kayla said and Jonathan heard the sadness in her voice.

He let out a deep breath and looked at her back as she stirred the soup, "I'm sure it'll come back to me eventually."

Kayla's frizzy hair covered head bobbed up and down as she nodded, "I think so too, Jonathan. I do."

She turned towards him, carrying the cauldron to the table and then proceeded to pour soup for them, "I hope it tastes good, husband."

Jonathan smiled in appreciation and took a spoonful, "Mm, this _is_ really good, Kayla."

Kayla blushed as she sat down in the chair opposite Jonathan, "Thank you."

They proceeded to eat their food quietly for a few minutes, but Jonathan kept feeling Kayla's gaze on him. Finally, he looked up and caught her eyes.

"What?" he asked softly.

"Jonathan," she said, placing her spoon on the table. "We've been married for almost five years now."

"Yeah…," Jonathan said in agreement, knowing that they both knew he had no memory of those five years. Casually, Jonathan returned to eating his soup.

"Yes. And I've been thinking…," Kayla continued. "I've always wanted a child."

Jonathan coughed, choking on his soup.

* * *

Samantha stood outside, leaning back against the house, letting the cool night breeze ruffle her hair. She looked up at the stars, wishing that they somehow held the answer to all this. She wished they could tell her of her past, tell her who she was and what her relationships with Daniel and Jonathan meant to her. Deep inside she knew that her heart felt more for Jonathan then it did for Daniel, she was just not sure to what extent yet, and she wasn't about to tell Daniel.

In truth, she felt bad for Daniel, even though they'd both agreed to disregard their supposed engagement, she felt guilty that, in case they were truly in love, she was having feelings for an other man.

She was pulled from her thoughts as the front door opened and Daniel peaked his head out, "Samantha?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I promise. I'm just… admiring the stars," she said, waving a hand at the sky.

Daniel nodded in understanding, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm heading to bed, I'll take the couch again."

"No, Daniel," Samantha said. "Don't. Take the bed instead. I know you slept in the couch last night but you and your leg need to sleep in a more comfortable bed."

Daniel hesitated and then looked up at her once more, he looked like he wanted to accept her offer, but still was chivalrous enough not to do it so simply, "Are you sure, Samantha? The couch isn't too bad, I can take it."

Samantha smiled at Daniel's kindness, "Take the bed, Daniel. Sleep well."

"You too, Samantha. Good night."

Samantha smiled as Daniel closed the door and she was once more alone. She exhaled deeply and looked up at the sky, yes, she truly wished they held all the answers.

* * *

Next morning, Samantha left home as usual. The sun had just risen and there was still a chill in the morning air. It didn't bother Samantha much though, it only rejuvenated her. As she made her way on the path she'd walked on for the past few days she caught sight of a familiar figure beneath a familiar tree. Samantha smiled, Jonathan was once more fishing at the exact same spot he had the previous day. Making her way over to him, she noticed he didn't once look up from his rod.

"Hello!" she called when she was within earshot and Jonathan's head whipped up in her direction, a smile spreading on his lips.

"Hello," he greeted back when she stopped a few feet away from him.

"I must ask, Jonathan, _do_ you ever work?" Samantha asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

Jonathan chuckled, "I do, believe it or not. Between my fishing trips."

Samantha nodded, "Life would be simpler, wouldn't it, if all you had to do was fish."

"Indeed," Jonathan said, but thought the word sounded odd coming from his mouth.

He looked up at Samantha, once more finding himself captivated by her eyes. _Her eyes_. They were something he hadn't been able to get off his mind, the blue pools followed him in his thoughts wherever he went. Besides being so fascinating on their own, he was sure they reminded him of something else... Something round, deep, blue and full of possibilites...

Suddenly something shifted in her eyes and she raised her eyebrow inquiringly, Jonathan realized he must have been staring and turned to look down at the river again.

"It was nice meeting you, Jonathan, but I really should be heading for town. Unlike some, I don't have the time to fish," she said, albeit with a smile in her eyes.

Jonathan thought his choices over quickly as she begun walking away from him; he could either stay put and wait awhile before heading to work himself, or he could join her. Hastily making up his mind, he called for her, "Hey! Wait up! If you don't mind, we could walk to town… together."

"S-Sure."

"Great!" he smiled widely and stood up, throwing the fishing pole over his shoulder and turning back to her. "Let's go."

The journey back to town was a mix between complete silence and very talkative moments, they talked about nothing in particular but somehow, Jonathan felt, that was safe. He'd explained about his job in the fields and she'd done the same about her job. He loved hearing her speak, he realized, as her eyes twinkled about one thing or another as she remembered something she'd done at work. Still, he thought, the sparkle wasn't as bright as it used to be, though he couldn't remember how or why he knew that.

When they finally reached the edge of the fields, Jonathan stopped. Samantha, who had been in the middle of explaining something, abruptly stopped and looked back at him with wide, confused eyes.

"My stop," Jonathan said, pointing in the direction of the fields.

"Oh."

"Will I… see you later this afternoon?" Jonathan asked, trying to keep his emotions from his voice.

Samantha ducked her head to hide, what Jonathan presumed was, a blush, "Sure. Later. Bye."

With that, Samantha continued her walk and Jonathan watched her until she disappeared between the houses. He exhaled deeply, he wasn't sure about a lot of things in this life, but he was sure that Samantha meant a lot to him somehow. He just needed to figure out how.

* * *

That afternoon, after having worked yet another tiring day on the fields, Jonathan sat leaned back against his favorite tree, his fishing rod hanging lazily in his hands. He'd sat there for almost an hour now, and he was getting a bit restless. It was beginning to get late and his anxiety was growing, Samantha had, after all, said she'd meet him. But she wasn't here. And he couldn't see her in the distance either.

Perhaps something was wrong… Or perhaps she'd changed her mind. Either way, Jonathan didn't like to think about it, but there wasn't much he could do not to think about it, it came uninvited whether he liked it or not.

Jonathan exhaled deeply and turned back to the river.

_Okay, focus, Jonathan. Think about… work. Yeah, think about work._

The other workers on the field had tried to jog his memory this day too, though they were still not doing much progress. Most of them claimed they'd been childhood friends with him but still none of them seemed to understand his sarcastic wit whenever he had cracked a joke.

"Jonathan!" a voice called in the distance and Jonathan looked up. A smile spread across his lips, as ever when she was approaching, and he waved at Samantha as she came closer, jogging across the grass plain.

When she reached him she was slightly out of breath and sunk down on the ground next to him. Her hair was hanging loosely in her braid and Jonathan found it endearing, to say the least.

"Hey there," he smiled as she took a few deep breaths. "Where's the fire?"

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she smiled back, and his eyes were glued to her lips. "But apparently there was an accident on the fields and one of the workers was rushed to the healers house."

"Who?" Jonathan asked, immediately worried about his friends. Whether he remembered them or not didn't matter, the fact that they were still honorable men did.

"Garrick, his name was Garrick," Samantha said.

Jonathan recognized the name as one of his 'childhood friends', "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry. He cut himself pretty badly, a large gash on his leg, but he's going to be just fine. Boupo managed to stop the bleeding and sewed him up quite nicely."

"Good," Jonathan exhaled in relief and then turned to watch her. "I'm glad you made it."

"Me too," she said, her eyes meeting his.

Jonathan felt the sensation of remembrance return to him as he beheld her, she was so familiar to him in so many ways, he hated that he couldn't place those memories. She deserved to be remembered, not forgotten.

Jonathan watched her with such an intense look that Samantha finally turned her eyes away, out of sheer fright for what she would do if she didn't. She cleared her throat, "Well, I should go," she stood and cleaned her dress from a few grass straws, "Daniel must be worried too. Yeah, go. I should… go."

She looked down at him one final time before taking a step away from him.

"Don't," his soft voice stopped her. "Stay."

Very slowly, she turned back to him and noticed that his eyes were once more on her. "I don't want you to leave… I want…"

When he failed to continue, Samantha's curiosity grew, "What?"

Jonathan drew a deep breath, "I just want to look at you. Nothing, nothing weird or anything, I just want to… look at you, is all."

Samantha felt her heart speed up, "…Why?"

"Because… it feels as if I remember when I look at you. And I want to keep that feeling, I don't want to lose it. I want to remember again, not be left in oblivion."

* * *

_TBC..._


	5. Feelings Revealed

_A/N: And here we have chapter 5 which promises you more S/J moments. I'll comment more at the end, for those interested in hearing my words about this. But what I can mention here is that it... kind of changed along the way, a few things I had planned for further down the line came into play now. Such as the S/J scene at the end. Hope you enjoy!_

Reviewers: A collective thank you, once again! I hope everyone (including non-reviewers of course) have a great Midsummer!

_Devilish Me - Those moments, :). I did have a great time on my trip, it was calm and sweet and everything I needed. A great way to start the summer. :)._

_CrazyBabiih - Thank you so very much, it truly does feel special when someone says they like the way you write, it means something to me. :). Believable? Thank you! That was what I was hoping for in a way, that it would feel as if it could have happened on the show._

_Jessica - And you won't exactly get a clue as to what happened next either, as this chapter begins at an other place. Sorry! But I hope I made it up to you with a few scenes there towards the end._

_WhatATragicComedy - Oh, there is always something blocking them! But Jack just won't let things stop him here! (because, frankly, he can't remember the regs that's supposed to be blocking them) ;)._

_not a zatarc - They are cute! XD._

_HAZMOT - Well, I suppose the question is... who's really fooling who? Who knows what, and what is truth and what is fiction?... Oh, the other villagers? They're probably minding their own business, besides, Sam/Jack moments by the river are pretty secluded, so th villagers miss that. The looks at the party though? I can't say for sure, but I think at least one or two have noticed... I will try and shed light on things in the dark later on!_

_Alli108 - Cooler then Beneath the Surface? Gosh! Thank you, but I still think that episode rocked. The script was so wonderful and the S/J scenes kept you wanting more, which is, kind of, where this story steps in. In this story, we do get more._

_VisuakIDentificationZeta - I agree! I kind of feel bad for Pete actually, he was basically a tool that TPTB used to prove a point. In the end, it wasn't appreciated by all... _

_ALIMOO1971 - Oh, I can't answer those thoughts. ;). Teal'c will appear shortly though... (inncent whistle)_

_Kara Thrace - Lol, thank you! They are inseperable, even here! _

_JimBeamer5 - Garrick? A tailor? ...Have I mentioned him before or am I just slow?_

_Nyx Ro - ...Are you being sarcastic about the books? :P. As far as the Sam loving Jack 'more' then Daniel, that did come out wrong. I didn't mean more like that, I just meant that at the moment she has 'more feelings' for Jack then she has for Daniel. I am in no way suggesting that Sam, with her memories intact, love Jack 'more' then Daniel. I just meant that with amnesia she feels more for Jack then Daniel, because that's the love she remembers. You know what I mean?_

_dp - thank you! I know the wait was long, but here is the chapter!_

_wtd-lao-csibuff - Here is more! Enjoy! :P._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Feelings Revealed**

After having spent several hours in the library, Daniel was none the wiser. He'd found an interesting section of old scrolls, but he hadn't been able to make sense of the writings. He'd found several notes where there had been mentions of something about to go wrong in the past, only to be followed by a note where everything was back to normal. As a matter of fact, the terrible things that had been described weren't ever mentioned again. Daniel had tried to ask the librarian for help but she was of little help as she had no answers to give nor did she seem to feel that they were needed.

He'd also found a few scrolls with an alien language, he'd frowned over the words for awhile until realizing that they did mean something to him. He wasn't sure how, but he was sure he understood the language, he just couldn't remember it.

The amnesia had his frustration growing more and more through out the day and when he came home that evening he slammed the door hard behind him.

He limped over to the couch and sat down, sulking to himself. His glasses slid down his nose an inch and Daniel sighed, keeping his eyes on the glasses balancing on the brink of his nose. Daniel's silent frustration was soon interrupted by soft footsteps and the creaking of the kitchen door.

"Something wrong?" Samantha asked, Daniel didn't bother to look up.

"No one else has them, you know," was his first and only reply to her question.

"Has what?" Samantha asked, Daniel could practically hear her confused frown.

"Glasses. I'm the only one in the village who wears glasses," Daniel clarified. "I don't understand it."

"Well, _I_ can't explain it for you," Samantha sighed and sank down in the couch next to Daniel. They sat silently for awhile until Samantha cleared her throat and said, "So, how was the library?"

"There was a lot to read there, but nothing that made sense," Daniel sighed, pinching the ridge of his nose at the same time as his glasses dropped into his lap.

"What do you mean?"

"I found about five mentions of dangerous intruders in Batan's history, but as I kept reading they disappeared. Whatever or whoever it was just disappeared into thin air and wasn't mentioned again, not ever. One thing that the mysterious notes had in common was something about a cave..."

"What?" Samantha frowned again, silently processing what Daniel had just said. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know," Daniel sighed. "But it's frustrating. I talked to the librarian, told her I thought something was wrong. She just looked at me with her big eyes as if I was a child or something, she obviously didn't find it as important as I did."

"Well, I think something's going on here," Samantha said. "I just don't know what. But maybe we can figure it out. Together."

"Yeah…," Daniel nodded. "We should let that Jonathan guy help us too, I think we can trust him."

Samantha was silent a few seconds before responding, "Me too."

Daniel finally shifted his gaze to the blond woman by his side, "So, how are we going to go about this?"

"Well… I don't know. We should talk to Jonathan first, see what he thinks," Samantha shrugged.

"I talked to Boupo," Daniel said. "As long as I'm careful, I can go back to work tomorrow. Jonathan works in the fields too, maybe I can talk to him then."

"...Yeah, maybe."

"…What?" Daniel asked. "Why are you sounding so… _distant_?"

"Oh, nothing," Samantha said, though Daniel thought a faint blush crept up her cheeks, but before he had a chance to ask her about it, Sam swiftly changed subject, "I talked to a few of the women today, there's a feast tomorrow night for a newborn child, to celebrate the child's beginning of life's journey."

"Sounds great," Daniel murmured. "Guess we'll have to act the 'engaged couple' again, huh?"

"It's just for a night, Daniel."

"I know," Daniel sighed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight."

* * *

The following morning, the sun shone brightly in the sky, a gentle breeze disturbing the otherwise silent morning as Samantha and Daniel made their way towards work together. Daniel saw that Sam was glancing over to the side more then once, towards the river that ran further away. His confusion, however, was answered when he saw Jonathan, who was fishing beneath a tree. He waved at them and stood from his spot, his fishing rod hanging across his shoulder as the older man walked over to join them.

"Good morning, Samantha," Jonathan said with a large smile directed at Samantha, and then turned to Daniel, if Jonathan was surprised to see him, he managed to hide his surprise well. "Daniel. How's the leg?"

"Better. Thank you," Daniel said, nodding his head slightly.

The three of them kept walking and Daniel, still wondering whether or not the meeting had been planned between Samantha and Jonathan, decided to ignore his wondering and instead tell Jonathan about his suspicions, "Jonathan…I… I don't know about you, but I feel there's something odd going on in Batan."

Jonathan glanced in his direction briefly before nodding, "Yeah, I know. I've noticed too. I don't have any evidence of anything though, it's just a… _feeling_."

"Feeling… yes," Daniel nodded.

"Feelings can't get us far though," Samantha pointed out, looking at the two men on her left. "We have to get evidence. Daniel, tell Jonathan what you found in the library."

Daniel explained about the mysteries he'd found and when he was done, Jonathan nodded slowly.

"That is weird," Jonathan agreed. "But also doesn't answer anything…"

"There's got to be something that answers all this," Daniel sighed in frustration. "I've been thinking about what you said, Jonathan, and I agree that our shared amnesia is…-"

"Fishy," Jonathan offered when words failed Daniel.

"Yes, thank you. Fishy," Daniel nodded.

"Well, I think there are ways for us to remember," Jonathan said, giving Samantha a glance, which Daniel found a bit out of place, he was sure he wasn't getting the full context there.

"What do you mean?" Daniel frowned.

"Talk to people," Jonathan shrugged. "See what we can find out. But not about us, not about our lives."

"Then what should we ask?" Samantha asked.

Jonathan shrugged, "I don't really know. About those… mysteries Daniel mentioned, I suppose. See if anyone reacts to it, if anyone feels it's important somehow."

"Good idea," Daniel said and looked forward, they were getting close to the fields. "Tonight will be a good time to ask around, with the feast and all."

Daniel, Samantha and Jonathan split ways by the fields and Daniel saw how Jonathan glanced back to watch Samantha walk in the other direction, before turning forwards, walking amiably side by side with Daniel. Daniel shrugged to himself but decided not to bother asking about it, his thoughts were instead crowded with questions he wanted to remember for the night.

* * *

As the sun began setting, the feast was in full swing with dancing and singing people everywhere. Jonathan figured it was, if possible, even more cheerful then the party they'd thrown for himself, Daniel and Samantha a few nights prior. Making his way through the crowd, Jonathan walked up to Samantha who stood by herself.

He came up behind her and took in her appearance, she wore a long blue cotton dress that fit her beautifully, hugging her curves. Her long hair was loose and Jonathan ignored the sudden impulse to run his hands through her hair, instead he placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, her eyes wide in surprise but upon seeing them she smiled widely up at him.

"Jonathan," she greeted.

"Samantha. Have you asked around?" Jonathan asked and continued when she nodded. "Find anything out?"

"Nope," Samantha sighed. "Nothing. Everyone seems to be content with their lives, they don't seem to want to question things. They don't need to question things."

"Yeah, I met the same reaction," Jonathan said, sighing as he did.

"It was worth a try at least," Samantha said, shrugging her shoulder.

"Where's your husband-to-be?" Jonathan asked, ignoring the stinging sensation that word made in his heart.

"Well, Daniel's talking to Daman, he thought it best to go for the big guy first, but I don't think he's been too successful yet."

Samantha smiled again and Jonathan felt his brain turn to goo. His eyes were mesmerized by her smile and dancing lips and something in him shifted, he had to do something about his growing emotions, he couldn't ignore them, no matter how much he might want it. Jonathan took her hand in his and saw how her eyes widened in surprise at his action.

"Come with me," he said, his voice hoarse, and he led them outside. The colder night air hit his skin, but didn't cool him one bit.

"Where are we going?" Samantha asked, Jonathan found it comforting that he didn't hear a trace of fear or trepidation in her voice.

"Just around the corner," was his gruff reply as he walked around a house, he stopped and let go of Samantha's hand before looking around to make sure no one else was around.

"Jonathan…?"

Jonathan inhaled deeply and lifted his gaze to hers again, only then realizing how close they really were. Clearing his throat, he took a step back, hoping that the action would also help bring a few brain cells back to function.

"Samantha…," Jonathan began, letting her name roll of the tip of his tongue as if tasting the word carefully, enjoying it's full taste. "Remember yesterday, when I told you that I feel as if I remember things when I'm around you?"

She nodded wordlessly and Jonathan continued, "Well, it's true. I do. At least, I remember feelings."

"Feelings?" Samantha asked, and now Jonathan heard the first traces of fear.

"Yeah…," Jonathan nodded, his eyes locking with hers. "For you."

Samantha's eyes widened and she shook her head in numb shock, "What?"

"Samantha," Jonathan crossed the small distance between them, suddenly deciding that they weren't close enough, "I have feelings for you that I'm sure I had long before the cave-in, or whatever happened to us. I don't know how you feel for me, but I think you feel the same way."

"I don't…," Samantha began, in her chest her heart was beating fiercely. A part of her was cheering loudly in joy, celebrating his words, while an other part of her felt fear and there was also the small sensation that this was wrong, but in such a right way.

Not sure how to finish her sentence she let it trail away, until her eyes met his and she saw his raw emotions displayed openly in his otherwise guarded eyes, besides utter devotion and love there was a fear in his brown eyes that matched her own.

"I mean…," she finally continued, still unsure how to explain she felt the same way. "I do… We can't."

"Why not?"

"Can't you feel it?" Samantha asked, she couldn't be the only one who felt as if expressing their feelings for each other was wrong.

"Oh, I feel," Jonathan whispered softly before leaning forward. Samantha stood frozen as his lips met hers in a gentle kiss, her eyes closed on their own accord and for a moment she let herself enjoy the wonder, until her brain kicked in and she pushed back.

"We can't, Jack," she said, then kept going with the only things she could give to explain why it was wrong, "You're married and I'm engaged to another man. We can't."

Jonathan backed up from her, for a second Samantha felt a pang of pain, wondering if he was regretting his kiss, but there was no regret shining in his eyes, instead all she saw was confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"You called me '_Jack'_," Jonathan said slowly, a frown appearing on his face.

"So?"

"My name is Jonathan, not Jack…," Jonathan said, but as he said it, he got a strange sensation that the name Jack was familiar to him.

Samantha shrugged, "That's besides the point, Jonathan. The point is that we can't do this. It's wrong and-"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as he cut her off with another kiss, this time Samantha pushed back faster, but kept a firm hold of his clothes. His breath tickled her face and her eyes watched as his tongue slid over his lips.

"We can't…," she repeated, albeit in a weaker voice then earlier.

"Jonathan!" a voice suddenly called and both Samantha and Jonathan jumped apart as Kayla rounded the corner, a wide smile on her lips as she saw Jonathan, the smile however disappeared as she saw Samantha. "Oh, hello."

"Hi," Samantha said, smiling sheepishly, wishing that she was anywhere but where she was at the moment.

"Jonathan, I am tired," Kayla said, her tone short. "I want to go home. Take me home, will you?"

"…Yeah, sure...you betcha," Jonathan said, glancing one final time at Samantha before following Kayla out of there. Samantha drew a deep breath as she was left alone. Her fingers traced over her lips, her lips still burning warm from his kiss.

"Samantha?" she heard Daniel calling, and she was pulled from her thoughts as Daniel came around the corner. "There you are! Come on, let's go home. We have some things to think about."

"What things?"

"Daman asked me about our wedding, I tried to be as vauge as possible, but that only caught his curiosity even more. He asked to see me tomorrow, to show him our plans for our wedding. Our, as of now, non-existent plans... He also suggested that I take the day off to look around for things for our wedding and make plans with people, stuff like that.

"Oh," Samantha said. "Then we have some wedding planning to do… I suppose."

* * *

_A/N: And that's chapter 5! We're moving forwards swiftly, I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but there's not too many... Ah, I don't have the exact count, but there are a few good ones to come! :)._

_So, what did you think?_

Note: Did anyone notice how Daniel called Samantha 'Sam, and how Samanatha called Jonathan 'Jack'... small unconcious details, that still mean so much.

_That S/J kiss was also not supposed to be until next chapter, but I thought it fit better there. Then again, S/J kisses fit almost everywhere, if you just make room for them._

Next chapter: A big, stoic Jaffa makes an appearance...


	6. The Slave

_A/N: Chapter six, for those interested. This was actually a blast for me to write, especially knowing that Teal'c appears too. I enjoyed so much about this chapter, but things are getting harder to keep track of as we're getting towards the end. There's so much to think about, but I think this chapter has all the foreshadowing it needs. :)._

_Reviewers: Thank you! :D. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! :)._

_VisualIDentificationZeta - Thank you :)._

_gater62 - I loved writing the "around the corner" scene, and it is a great ship! Ah, I'm getting more and more restless for those two to actually get their happily ever after, they deserve to have it for real._

_Nyx Ro - I agree about the books, that's kind of why I wrote it like that. :P. Yeah... (cough) about those Daniel/Teal'c quasi-BDSM sex scenes... no, wait. I really don't think I want to know. But know that those words put some very strange images in my head... XD._

_Allie108 - Well, they're planning a fake wedding, yes. Just to show Daman something. I was thinking about letting her call him 'sir', but in the end I liked the idea of Jack a bit more, just because she does say it so seldom. I'm not even sure Jack would have reacted like he did if she had called him 'sir', because he probably wouldn't have noticed. :P._

_Devilish Me - More kisses you say? Well, who am I to deny someone their wish? ;)._

_ALIMOO1971 - The mysterious cave that Daniel mentioned (which is indeed the one in chapter 1) will definitely be thought about some more later on. I'm kind of hoping they'll remember everything soon actually, not because I want to quit writing, it's just so hard to remember putting little clues here and exploring other stuff there... I'm beginning to forget certain things here, and that's bad, cause I'm the one who's supposed to make them remember. Oy vey!_

_not a zatarc - Kayla is annoying, and she gets more annoying in this... Well, she gets annoyed, perhaps I should say... And yay for all kisses!_

_?? - Kayla reminds you of Freya/Anise? Hmm... I never really thought of it, to me she's kind of an evil version of Laira or something... _

_PatriciaS - Hey, you're welcome and thanks yourself! :D._

_HAZMOT - Ah, you're forgetting one thing though... is everyone really playing a game? Or are they merely pieces of the game?_

_JustHorsenAround010 - Dying? Oh no! Somebody call a medic! :P. I'm sorry, I'm just kidding, I get like that when I'm tired. :P. I hope this chapter revives you though._

_JimBeamer5 - Hehe, wow, sorry... Garrick is actually not based on anything for this. Hat tips there are a few in this story though. For example; the people are called the Bati - which is a hat tip to an unfinished story of mine. The name Boupo comes from a friend of mine who, when they were kids, used to change their names so that the letters became the following in the alphabet (A became B, D became E etc.) and she had a friend Anton which then, when changing the letters, became Boupo. Daman is actually a silly thing, in the beginning when I wrote down notes for this story I called him 'the man' ( aka the boss) and that soon turned gangsta (Da man) and thus Daman was formed. It's silly, but my mind works like that. :P Sorry for rambling on you here. :P. _

_And that's that, now I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)._

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Slave**

Clutching the fake wedding plans tightly in his hand, Daniel limped through the city. His leg was still hurting, but it was getting better and better. As he limped on, he waved to a few villagers, who waved back to him in turn.

Suddenly he felt something pound his back and startled he turned around to see a few smiling men, the same age as Daniel. One of them, a blue eyed man, threw an arm around Daniel's shoulders and called out with a wide grin, "Hey, Daniel!"

"Hey… _you_," Daniel said, offering a weak smile in return, he really had no idea who these men were.

"Can you not remember me either?" the man asked. "I thought you would, considering we have been friends since childhood. We all have."

The man gestured to the three other men, who all nodded vigorously. Daniel shrugged and tried to get free from beneath the man's heavy arm.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said. "I don't remember you, but don't take it personally… I don't remember anyone."

"Are you serious? Well, we will just have to get you to remember then. I am Gilead," the blue eyed man said, and then jerked his thumb at the other three men, pointing them out one by one, "This here is Halan, Philiam and Dewan."

"A pleasure, I'm sure," Daniel said. "But now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Daman-"

"Oh no, you do not," Halan said, taking a hold of Daniel's arm to keep him in place. "We want to help you here, will you not let old friends help you?"

Daniel sighed, he could see their macho need to prove themselves and absently nodded, perhaps a few minutes would satisfy their needs.

"Alright, where should we start?" Halan asked. "I know! Do you remember that time when we were twelve years old and you, me and Dewan _borrowed _the miller's hat?"

"Oh yeah!" Dewan smiled. "I can still hear the miller's screams echoing today; '_You good-for-nothing boys! Get back here with my hat, now!_'"

Daniel smiled kindly, he was sure he had no memory of this and so refrained from commenting on their words.

"Or how about five years later?" Philiam asked, a twinkle in his eyes. "When you and Samantha first started seeing each other? Remember how you used to walk around on rose colored clouds?"

"Eh, no," Daniel said, a frown starting to settle on his face.

"You were always the lucky one, Daniel," Gilead said. "You landed the prettiest girl our age, and she was stupid enough to fall in love with you too."

Daniel's frown grew, he still had no memory of these things, but the way their eyes shone with reminiscing, Daniel was sure they were honestly remembering certain events. This bothered Daniel in a way, cause he'd been almost positive up until now that the life he had in Batan had been nothing but a lie, which meant that there shouldn't be any memories of his childhood with these people.

Daniel tuned out the sounds of their voices briefly to study their expressions, with a skeptic eye he watched as they joked around with each other and Daniel was convinced that they weren't lying, there wasn't an ounce of ill will in their faces, they seemed genuinly happy.

As this knowledge struck him, he cleared his throat loud enough to get the four men to shut up. With a smile, Daniel said, "It was nice meeting you guys, really. But I have to get going, won't want to keep Daman waiting, you know."

"We understand," Philiam said, smiling at Daniel. "Go on, we'll talk more later. Maybe if we work on it a few more times, we can help that memory of yours return."

"Yeah, eh, sure," Daniel said. "Sounds great. Later then."

With that, Daniel backed away and turned away from the four men, who soon were laughing about another memory. Daniel stopped briefly and glanced at the four men one final time, unsure what to think. With a final shake of the head, Daniel limped onwards.

* * *

"Hello?" Daniel called as he stepped into Daman's house, at the very center of town. When there was no answer he stepped further in, a floor board creaked slightly beneath his feet as he continued into the house. "Daman?"

Distantly, Daniel heard a female voice. Whoever it was, was angry and to the brink of shouting. With a frown, Daniel made his way further into the house, following the angry voice until he could hear the woman's words,"I do not like this, Daman. Not one bit! They are nothing but trouble, I tell you."

Daniel frowned, he recognized that voice; it was Kayla, Jonathan's wife. Sneaking closer to a closed door, Daniel had the suspecting feeling that he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he couldn't help himself.

"Calm down, Kayla," it was Daman's voice. "Remember, it is working. Just give it time."

"Time," Kayla said, her voice scornful. "I don't need _time_. You could give me all the time in the world and he still wouldn't love me. It didn't work, Daman. _It didn't work_!"

Daniel frowned, _were they talking about Jonathan?_ Daniel took a step forward to better hear Daman's response when suddenly another floorboard creaked beneath his feet and all conversation within the room seized. Not wanting to get caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Daniel loudly said, "Daman? Are you in here?"

"Ah, Daniel," Daman said and the door opened, revealing the leather coat clad Daman and a fuming Kayla. Kayla glared at Daniel briefly before turning her glare on Daman and finally stalking out of there, leaving Daniel to jump out of her way as to not get slammed into.

"Is something wrong?" Daniel asked, his eyes following Kayla as she slammed the door behind her, leaving Daman and Daniel alone.

"No, no…," Daman said. "She is just frustrated that her husband does not remember."

"…Right," Daniel said distantly, squinting his eyes in thought when Daman placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"Come now, Daniel, let us forget about Kayla and talk about your own love," Daman said as he lead Daniel into the room. A plain wooden desk stood in the center of the room, with four chairs around it. Daman gestured for Daniel to take a seat as he continued, "How is Samantha, friend?"

"Sam? Oh, she's fine," Daniel said, his thoughts still with Kayla.

"That is wonderful," Daman took a seat on the other side of the desk. "Now, will you show me your plans for the wedding? I am most curious to see what you have planned."

"Plans? Oh! Yeah, sure. Here," Daniel handed the papers he'd been carrying to Daman.

Daman took the papers and started looking through them. Daniel, unsure what to do, started looking around the room. On the desk lay several papers and Daniel reached out a hand to look at a few of them, his curiousty getting the better of him. The corner of a blue paper that looked somewhat familiar caught his eyes and as he pulled it out for further inspection, Daman suddenly pulled it out of his grasp, placing it out of Daniel's reach.

"What was that?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Do not bother yourself with those, they were designs from the builders. Nothing that would hold your interest."

Daniel wanted to beg to differ when Daman suddenly continued, "I see here you were wondering if I would be the ceremonial master."

"Yeah," Daniel nodded, seeing the small smile on Daman's lips, Daniel was glad that Samantha had thought of that particular part. "It was Samantha's idea actually."

"Well, I believe it to be an excellent idea, Daniel," Daman smiled and handed the papers back to Daniel. "Though, I must say, with all your plans, perhaps you should consider a few slaves to help serve the guests, as you wish to invite most of the villagers."

"Slaves?" Daniel frowned. "There are slaves in this place?"

"Of course, Daniel, there always has."

Daniel didn't like the sound of that, "Are you serious? People shouldn't be treated as slaves, you can't own someone."

Daman help up his hands and Daniel quieted down, "Daniel, I assure you, they are all treated well. I insist that you at least go to the slave dealer and see what he has to offer. Go now, and do not worry about any costs, I will arrange for it."

Daniel pursed his lips tight and nodded, he stood from his stool, bid farewell to Daman and left the house.

* * *

Standing outside of the slave dealer's barn, Daniel crossed his arms and frowned at the man before him.

"Yes, I do sell slaves. Do you have a problem with that, young friend?" the elderly man said, a dangerous glint in his eyes and a hayfork thrown across his shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Daniel pointed out.

"Alright then, you do not have to buy any slaves. Leave me to my business, and I will leave you to yours," the man, Gujho, said with a shrug and turned to go inside the barn.

Daniel quickly spoke out, "I'll have a look at least."

Gujho turned back to Daniel, surprise written on his wrinkled, scarred face. Daniel's frown hardened, he'd at least take a look at the state of the slaves, he wanted to know that they weren't treated poorly. And also, if they were, he wanted to inform Samantha and Jonathan and perhaps they could find a way to help them.

"Alright then, friend," Gujho said, opening the wide door. "Step right in."

Daniel stepped inside the barn and the first thing he saw were several large cages on both sides of the barn, with several slaves in each cage. Daniel breathed deeply and stepped toward the first cage; there were three people inside, two men and a woman, all looked like they'd been in there awhile, and all looked surprised to see him.

Daniel continued his inspection as he walked past two more cages and then, before the fourth cage, he stopped. Daniel's blue eyes looked in through the bars at a face he felt was familiar. Inside the cage sat a lone man, he was large and his head was bald, with a gold emblem on his forehead.

"Uh, hello," Daniel said to the man. "My name is Daniel, what is yours?"

The big man turned his head slowly in Daniel's direction but didn't say anything, slowly the man turned his head away from Daniel again.

"How long have you been in here?" Daniel asked, but still got no response. Daniel turned to Gujho as the slave dealer stepped forwards and banged on the bars with his hayfork.

"Answer the man, slave," Gujho ordered before Daniel could stop him.

"I cannot," the big man responded. "For I do not know the answers to the questions which he ask."

"You… don't remember?" Daniel asked cautiously.

The big man turned his head in Daniel's direction again and the feeling of actually knowing this man, grew stronger within Daniel.

"Indeed," the man said in a dark voice.

"That's funny cause, eh, neither do I," Daniel said with a shrug, the big man raised an eyebrow at Daniel. "Eh, I mean, I don't know who _I _am."

The big man kept his eyebrow raised but once again remained silent.

"Do I... know you?" Daniel asked.

"I do not know, Daniel J-" the big man rumbled but stopped abruptly, Daniel frowned, wondering what it was the man had been about to say. The man continued, "I do not know. I have already said, I do not remember. It is possible we know each other, more I cannot say at this time."

Daniel stepped forward to says something more, but Gujho stopped him.

"Come on," the slave dealer said, yanking on Daniel's sleeve. "You won't get anything good out of that guy, he has been a thorn in my side since he got here. Let us move on."

Daniel was reluctant to go but finally let himself be pulled away from the mysterious man. Little did Daniel know that the man followed Daniel's movement with his eyes until Daniel was outside of the barn, at which point the man looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

* * *

That very afternoon, Samantha was walking home from work slower then normal. She was thoroughly considering taking the long way around so that she wouldn't have to face Jonathan yet again. This morning she'd taken another path and was considering taking the same now, but somewhere along the way, it seemed, her feet had steered her on the regular path.

Samantha felt her palms start sweating at the mere thought of having to face Jonathan, she wasn't sure she wanted to face him. What she'd said last night was true, she was sure they weren't supposed to be together. At least not now. There was more stopping her though then just the possible engagement to Daniel and Jonathan's wife, she was sure it went deeper then that, or at least that their block had been there before any of this.

If there was anything Samantha was certain of, it was that her feelings for Jonathan had to be kept under a lid, she was sure that she would regret exploring their feelings if, _no_, _when, _she reminded herself, _when _their memories returned. For surely with their memories would the block come, and they'd be forced to separate again. Samantha was sure she wouldn't be able to separate from Jonathan, if she got to be with him.

Samantha closed her eyes as words from yesterday echoed in her mind,

"_You called me 'Jack'… My name is Jonathan, not Jack…_"

It was true. She had called him Jack and been aware of it even before he'd called her on it. She was still unsure as to why she'd called him Jack instead of Jonathan, but somehow the name Jack wouldn't leave her mind.

She could now see the tree by the river and Samantha slowed down, her fight or flight instinct hit her like a heavy blow and she was lost as to what to do. She stopped mid-step, pondering her options when, without a warning, a loud surprised shout was heard, followed by a big splash as something or someone hit the river. Samantha, aware that the sounds had come from near the tree, lifted the hem of her skirt and sprinted towards the edge of the river, stopping by the tree. She looked over the edge of the small hill into the water and saw bubbles raising to the surface.

Without a second thought, Samantha dove into the water, intent on helping Jonathan. The water surrounded her and she blinked rapidly to try and adjust her eyes to the water, seeing Jonathan not far away she swam over to him and pulled him to the surface. As they broke the surface, Samantha held an arm around Jonathan's shoulder to steady him, she could see a grimace on his face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Samantha asked, worry seeping in to her every word.

"Knee," Jonathan groaned as Samantha started swimming towards the shore, pulling Jonathan with her. Samantha carefully pulled Jonathan out of the water and onto the grass, kneeling beside him, checking for injuries.

"I'm okay, really," Jonathan said, trying to brush away her probing hands. "My knee's fine now. I just hit the water the wrong way, you know, I'll be alright."

"What happened?"

"The ground loosened from under me," Jonathan said, lazily pointing a dripping hand in the direction of the hill up ahead. "I suppose I sat down on unsafe ground, my bad. I'm fine, you can stop fussing over me."

"I'm not fussing, I don't fuss."

"Sure you don't."

"_I don't_. But you've pierced your arm with your fishing hook."

"I have?" Jonathan asked, an eyebrow raised as he glanced down at his left arm where his hook sat. "Looks like I finally caught something, huh?"

Samantha shook her head at his joke and put her hands on his arm, "Hold still now. I'll pull it out, but it might sting a little."

"I'm a big boy, I'm sure I can handle it," Jonathan said.

Samantha brushed her soaked hair from her face before taking a hold of the hook and gently beginning to pry it from his arm. She heard him draw a sharp intake of breath and his right hand came to rest on her left arm, as a way to help ease the pain. Samantha gently kept working until the hook was out entirely at which point she placed it on the ground and ripped a long shred of fabric from her dress. She began to dress his arm with the fabric, using it as a makeshift bandage as she amusedly asked, "So, how did you manage to catch yourself on the hook?"

"Beats me," Jonathan said and Samantha could feel him shrug beneath her touch.

"There," Samantha said, tying up the bandage and inspecting her work. "I'm done, but I think we should go to the healers house, you should have that properly dressed."

"I'm fine," Jonathan said softly and Samantha's eyes met his. For a few seconds they looked at the other, unsure what to say or do. It was finally Jonathan who cleared his throat and looked away, Samantha tried to hide a blush, thankful that he'd looked away when he had. Her thankfulness, though, was soon forgotten as Jonathan spoke next,

"So… about last night…"

"What about last night?" Samantha asked, feigning innocence.

"You called me Jack," Jonathan repeated, Samantha was briefly surprised that he'd opted for that subject instead of their kisses.

"I did," Samantha nodded, looking somewhere between his shoulder and chin, intent on avoiding his eyes. "But I can't explain why I did it, so don't bother asking. I don't remember any Jack… I just… I just know that the name is very important to me somehow."

Jonathan nodded slowly, and Samantha dared a glance at his face, "I think I know what you mean. I feel the same way about the name… Homer."

Samantha giggled and Jonathan smiled too, pleased that he successfully had stopped the tension.

"Though…," Jonathan continued. "There's someone else too. Someone named Thera, I think, who's important to me. Though I'm not sure how…"

"Maybe you loved her," Samantha suggested, feeling a pang of pain in her chest.

Jonathan nodded absently," Maybe I did. Probably did, actually. …All I remember are feeling feelings for her, she was… free. But then, all the sudden, she wasn't anymore. I had to let her go."

"I'm sorry," Samantha said honestly, placing her hand atop of his that was resting on the grass. His hand turned beneath hers until their fingers were linked and Samantha couldn't help but look down at their hands. Jonathan's other hand brushed back more of her wet hair and finally she looked up at him.

His brown eyes were ocean deep and filled with nothing but affection for her at the moment, and she knew she'd never seen anything so breathtaking in her life.

His hand rested on her cheek a few seconds, his thumb gently stroking her face until he gently tugged on her head, urging her to lean in. She noticed he took his time, searching her eyes for approval. Closing the final distance between their lips, Jonathan kissed her. Samantha briefly entertained the thought of pulling back, but decided against it. She wanted this, if just for now, she wanted this. She deepened the kiss and Jonathan moaned against her lips.

Further away in the distance, unknown to Samantha and Jonathan, stood Kayla, her eyes dancing furiously with thunder as she watched their kiss. With one final furious glare, Kayla turned on her heels, intent on somehow showing her feelings for Samantha and Jonathan's actions.

* * *

_A/N: And the plot thickens!_

_What can I say about this chapter?_

_1. Teal'c's back! And... does he remember, or doesn't he?_

_2. Jack clearly remembers Beneath the Surface._

_3. Daniel found the blueprints the SGC send through the Gate, but Daman pulled them away before Daniel might have recognized them._

_4. What is happening in the village? Four villagers clearly have childhood memories of Daniel... but how can that be?_

_5. What was Daman and Kayla really talking about? "It didn't work" ...hmm..._

_Next chapter: Daniel remembers how he was injured and Kayla does make her feelings known to Samantha and Jonathan._


	7. Taking Action

_A/N: I present to you; Chapter 7! Now, I'm not sure how long time it will be until next chapter, because I have to study... I know, I know, it's vacation time, but I have to study because I'm attempting to take my driver's license.  
_

_Reviewers: Wonderful, as always!_

_Allie108 - Oh boy... I don't think I can answer any one of your questions without giving something away... I wish I could, but I don't think I can. But I'd like to see it this way: that means you're asking the right questions... ;)._

_ALIMOO1971 - Sure, Teal'c almost said Daniel's name but was it because he remembered Daniel, or was it an impulse?... The blueprints were indeed the watermill-thingy... Your other points, I can't comment either. XD. You guys are good at asking about things I can't reveal yet, do you know that? :P._

_gater62 - Thank you very much! :D._

_dp - Thank you, it was really a lot of fun to write too! Will Daniel buy Teal'c? Ah, well... they touch on that subject at the end of this chapter._

_Jackless - Thank you very much! :). Hope you like what's coming too._

_not a zatarc - Haha, lol. You sound upbeat about this, and that's good! There really was a lot of things happening last time, I'm even beginning to have a hard time keeping up._

_Devilish Me - Teal'c -Squee! I missed that guy, I'm also glad he's returned. Though, he's not in this chapter, but he'll have a bigger part in the following chapters._

_Alwaysapirate - Oh, really? Thank you!_

_JimBeamer5 - You know, in all honesty, I have no idea how the idea came to me. I feel kind of bad for practially doing the same to him here as in Beneath the Surface, in both the episode and this he's kind of pushed into the background... but he'll make up for it later! And Junior is actually a part of keeping him in the background, I'm still trying to figure out some details about Junior._

_HAZMOT - First off: Thank you! Will Teal'c remember? Ah, well... maybe with a little help from Junior... And Kayla is indeed reacting strongly for a woman whose relationship isn't real too XD._

_BettyHall223 - Thank you very much! Hope you like this too!_

_SeNedra - Thank you! :)._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Taking Action**

_Up. Down. Up. Down. Daniel wasn't sure why, but he was bouncing up and down continuously, and not only that, but he was doing it horizontally. And whatever he was lying on was itching against his hands, a stiff fabric strained beneath his weight. Cautiously he pried open one eye, trying to see through a deep haze. All he really could make out was the shape of someone by his head and someone by his feet, and Daniel now understood how he could be bouncing up and down. These two men were carrying him on a gurney of some sort, but why? And who were they? _

"_Make haste," a man spoke somewhere beside Daniel. "Get them down the mountain."_

_Daniel tried frowning but knew he mustn't have made much of an expression as he was barely able to sense his own face, let alone any other part of him. _

"_No, wait," the same man spoke again and Daniel dared a glance sideways. He had no idea who this man was, but he was wearing a funny looking leather coat and was holding up his palm, pointing it in the direction of some other gurney-carrier._

"_Not this one," the leather clad man said, indicating someone on another gurney, an icy blue light shining in the man's palm as he pointed it at the gurney carrier. "Take him to the slaves, we cannot have him around. He will just arise suspicion."_

_Daniel tried to see the person on the other gurney but the haze blocked him from being able to see anything. The leather clad man moved closer to Daniel's gurney._

"_Move these three to the healers house, let Boupo handle them," the man said._

_Daniel's heart beat faster, who was this man? What was he planning? Daniel fought against the haze and tried to get off his gurney, kicking out at one of the men carrying him. His mission succeeded in that the gurney was dropped, but his victory was short lived as he instead hit the ground hard, a jagged rock cutting into his leg. Daniel cried out in pain as a shadow descended over him._

_Daniel opened his eyes and looked up at the leather clad man. The man grinned down at him before raising his palm, the man spoke, "Sleep."_

_And then there was an icy blue light._

* * *

"Daniel!" a voice called out and someone held him down, Daniel tried struggling against his restrainer. "Daniel, it's just a dream! Wake up!"

Daniel opened his eyes, searching the room for any intruder but only found Samantha leaned over him, a worried look on her face.

"Sam?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

"It's alright, Daniel. It was just a dream."

"I don't think it was," Daniel said, hastily sitting up in the couch and putting on his glasses before turning in Samantha's direction again. "I think it was a memory."

At this, Samantha's eyes widened and she sat down on the floor in front of the sofa, "A memory? Of what?"

"I don't know," Daniel shook his head slowly, running the events of the dream through his head. "No, wait. Daman was in it."

"Daman?" Samantha asked. "What did he do?"

"He… he was ordering a few people to carry me down a mountain. Me and three other figures," Daniel said as his brain thought of the possibilities. "I think it was us."

"Us?"

"Yes, you, me, Jonathan and this fourth guy who's being held as a slave in the middle of town."

"There are slaves in this town?" Samantha asked with the same repulsion that Daniel had felt when he'd found it out earlier that day.

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "I think it was him."

"Alright," Samantha said, holding up her hands to calm Daniel down. "I'm not really following you here…"

"I went to Daman earlier today, Kayla was there too and she was furious about something concerning Jonathan… anyway, Daman then told me to visit the slave dealer to get slaves to work at our wedding, and so I went. And I saw this big guy there, he had some kind of golden mark on his forehead… He looked familiar to me."

"A big guy with a gold mark on his forehead?" Samantha asked, frowning at him. "I'd love to say I think you're insane, but it actually doesn't sound too weird…"

"You don't know how glad that makes me feel because I'm starting to wonder about my own sanity…," Daniel muttered.

"Would you mind telling me about the dream? Maybe we can figure it out together?" Samantha asked.

Daniel nodded and turned to look out the window where the sun was just beginning to set, he suddenly remembered something else, "I'd love to tell you, but we have to do it on the way into town. I ran into Alysia and Gilead after I'd left the slave dealer and they invited us to their son's tenth birthday party, they said it was also to celebrate their new child to come."

"What, another child?"

"Yes, these people are good at breeding, aren't they?" Daniel asked in amusement.

"…Our people?" Samantha asked.

Daniel visibly flinched, "Perhaps…"

Samantha took in Daniel's wide eyes, still trying to process everything that's happened lately. Samantha sighed, "Daniel, are you sure you want to go? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Sam. I want to go, besides I think it could be good. It could give me a chance to tell Ja-…eh, Jonathan too."

* * *

Arriving in the town hall, they were immediately surrounded with cheerful people who welcomed them with hugs and affectionate words. Daniel, however, pushed his way through the crowd, smiling at them but not stopping to talk to anyone.

"Daniel! Samantha!" a voice called out and Boupo stepped forward to them, a grin on the young man's lips. "How's the leg, Daniel? Not putting too much strain on it?"

"No, no, it's fine," Daniel said, waving Boupo's concern away, while straining his neck to look over the crowd for Jonathan.

Boupo saw Daniel's odd behavior and turned to Samantha with a raised eyebrow, "Who is he looking for?"

"Jonathan, I believe," Samantha smiled.

"Ah, I suppose Jonathan is with my cousin over there," Boupo said, pointing over to a large crowd further away.

"Your cousin?" Samantha asked in confusion.

"Yes, Kayla," Boupo explained and chuckled at Samantha's shocked expression. "You did not know?"

"No," Samantha confessed. "I'd never have thought the two of you were related… you're so very different."

"I see him," Daniel said, standing on his toes looking over the crowd. He took a hold of Samantha's arm and then turned to Boupo, "I'm sorry, Boupo. It was really nice seeing you, I just need to talk to Jonathan right now."

"It is alright, Daniel," Boupo said with a kind smile. "Perhaps we can talk later."

Daniel nodded briefly before pulling Samantha with him through the mass of people, finally reaching Jonathan's side.

"Jonathan," Daniel greeted as he placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "We need to talk. In private."

Jonathan nodded at Daniel, who quickly left before, Jonathan had a chance to respond, to take a table in the back of the gigantic hall, leaving Samantha alone with Jonathan. Jonathan smirked down at Samantha who grinned back.

"What's the matter with him?" Jonathan asked, his eyes drawn to her lips.

"He had a dream, it's kind of… fascinating actually, in a way," Samantha said. "I don't know what it means though, but he wants to share it with you."

Jonathan opened his mouth to speak when another figure stepped forward, clinging onto his arm. Jonathan grimaced down at Kayla who was openly glaring at Samantha.

"Kayla," Samantha greeted, feeling unsure under Kayla's glare. "How are you?"

"Me? Oh, I have had better days. But the day might look better if you would, so kindly, leave _my husband _alone."

"Eh, Kayla… we're just talking," Jonathan said, trying to keep Kayla calm but she pushed away from him, stepping forward towards Samantha.

"We were just talking," Samantha repeated.

"Sure you were, _this time_. Tell me, were you just talking this afternoon too?" Kayla asked, her voice rising an octave with every word and people started turning towards her, to see what was wrong.

"Maybe we should talk outside," Samantha suggested as she saw all the people who had now begun to quiet down.

"No! We'll talk right here, right now," Kayla said determinedly and then slapped Samantha across the cheek without any forewarning.

Samantha recoiled a step, placing her hand on her cheek as she looked back at Kayla with shocked eyes.

"You _adulteress_!" Kayla shouted, her brown eyes blazing with fire. "How dare you? How dare you kiss my husband? He is my husband! Not yours! He's not supposed to be yours to have!"

The crowd buzzed with whispers at this and Samantha looked around, a feeling of dread rising from the pit of her stomach. Jonathan reached out to Kayla again but she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!" she roared, pointing in his direction.

Daman then pushed his way to Jonathan's side, holding up his hands, "Kayla, calm down."

"No, Daman, I _won't_ calm down. I've already told you once-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Daman stepped forward, placing his hands forcefully on her arms, whispering, "Don't do this here, Kayla. Think about what you're doing."

"I am thinking, Daman. I am! And I've made a decision, I want her gone!" Kayla said, pointing her finger at Samantha. "I want her gone for what she's doing with my husband!"

"I didn't mean to…," Samantha whispered.

"But you did it anyway! You knew you weren't supposed to! He wasn't yours to have, not yours to kiss! He is mine!"

"I'm sorry…," Samantha said, her glance flickering between Jonathan and Kayla, before landing on Kayla. "I really am."

With that, Samantha turned on her heels and pushed her way through the crowd, leaving the hall. The door closed behind her and the silence was immediately broken as everyone started talking amongst themselves. Jonathan moved to follow Samantha when a hand around his arm stopped him, he turned around to see Daniel who'd just arrived at his side, point towards Daman and Kayla, who were still arguing pretty loudly.

"I ask you not to bring things up," Daman said. "and still you do. At the worst time too!"

"I'm sorry, _brother_, I just don't have your calm temper," Kayla spat sarcastically. "She deserved it, she deserved more, and I would have given her more if you hadn't stopped me."

"It was for the best. It wasn't the right time!" Daman warned. "It still isn't, lower your voice."

"NO!" Kayla growled. "I've had enough, Daman."

"Well, you've got no one to blame but yourself," Daman growled back, albeit in a lower voice. "You asked for a husband, I gave you one."

At this point there conversation lowered considerably and neither Daniel or Jonathan could hear another word that was said. Not a minute later though, Daman seemed to have had enough as he took a hold of Kayla's arm and dragged her out of there, away from any unwanted listeners.

"That was… interesting," Jonathan said then, turning to Daniel. "Do you have any idea what's going on here? Cause I don't."

"No," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I'm not too sure myself. But there's definitely something wrong with those two, they have something going on around here. I think it's affecting everyone, not just you, me and Sam."

"Speaking of which, don't you think we should go find her?" Jonathan asked, with a genuine hint of concern to his voice.

* * *

Samantha jogged all the way to her house and as she stepped through the door, her lungs were heaving for air. She wasn't really sure why she'd run, but figured it had more meaning behind it then just trying to leave Kayla's words behind her. The feelings she had for Jack… no, _Jonathan_… _whoever_, were still strong, but the feelings of regret were too.

She wasn't regretting her love for him, she was regretting expressing them, at least now. She remembered how she'd felt that she needed to keep a lid over her emotions for him, and that feeling was now stronger then ever. Without a doubt, Samantha knew that there was something supposed to be between her and Jonathan to keep them from expressing their feelings.

_Rules_… but what rules?

She sank down into the sofa, trying to straighten up her jumbled thoughts and figure out what was really wrong. By the time she'd come to a conclusion, to tell _Jack _(for she was sure that was his name, not Jonathan) about all the feelings she remembered and see how he'd react, the door opened, revealing Daniel.

"Sam?" he asked, stepping into their living room. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…," Samantha shrugged. "A bit surprised at Kayla's outburst perhaps, but other then that, I'm fine."

"So… what are you going to do?" Daniel asked. "About Jonathan, I mean?"

Samantha stood from the couch, facing Daniel, and frowned at him, "Kayla was Jonathan's wife. You're supposed to be my fiancé, how come you're not jealous?"

"You want me to be?" Daniel frowned.

"God, no."

"Well, good," Daniel said, nodding in relief. "Because in truth, I don't think I have those feelings for you. At least, not since our amnesia."

Samantha smiled and Daniel's relief suddenly turned to thoughtfulness. He still remembered how Gilead and his other 'childhood friends' had told him genuine memories of his childhood and couldn't help but wonder if they'd been right, maybe he was supposed to have feelings for Samantha. Daniel shook his head, it didn't really matter, considering that he hadn't, and either way she didn't have those feelings for him.

"Look,… all I can say is that… ever since waking up in the healers house, I've felt as if I've been betraying my best friend, acting as your fiancé. It just never felt right, you know? And I just want you to know that… I want you to be happy," Daniel said truthfully and continued. "And Jonathan obviously makes you happy, so you should be happy with him. The two of you, together. I just hope that this life really isn't ours, because I'm afraid that you'll be robbed of your happiness if it is, and I don't want that on my conscious. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Sam."

He looked up at Samantha, who had tears glistening in her eyes.

"Oh no," Daniel muttered. "I… didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying because I'm hurt, Daniel," she said, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "I'm crying because what you said was really sweet. Thank you."

Daniel breathed out in relief, "Anytime, Sam. Anytime."

Behind them, the door opened and Jonathan stepped in, feeling a bit out of place. As he saw Daniel and Samantha in a tight hug, he stopped mid-step. He lowered his eyes to hide his pain and moved to turn around when Samantha spotted him out of the the corner of her eyes and immediately pulled away from her embrace with Daniel.

"Jack," she breathed and he stopped. Slowly, he turned back to them.

"Samantha," he said, trying to be as curt as possible, despite the growing pain in his chest. The fact too that she'd once more used the name 'Jack' for him, was beginning to confuse him.

Daniel decided to step in to relieve the tension, "Sam, after you left, Daman and Kayla acted… weird, to say the least."

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning her gaze away from Jonathan.

"Well, it's hard to tell…," Daniel trailed off.

"I'm not really Kayla's husband," Jonathan said firmly, when words failed Daniel. Samantha's head whipped in Jonathan's reaction.

"…You're not?"

"Suppose not," Jonathan shrugged. "Daman pretty much said as much… wish we'd heard more though, as that might have helped us figure things out."

"I've filled Jonathan in on the slave," Daniel said. "I think we should help him escape. Shouldn't be too hard for someone on the outside, the locks aren't too strong, it's just the slaves who don't seem to have the strength or the will to get out."

"Here's a thought," Jonathan said, holding up his hands. "Why don't we _buy_ 'Golden Head'?"

Daniel seemed to consider his suggestion, "We could. Or we could just break him out now, when everyone is busy celebrating Gilead and Alysia's kids... That way no one will notice and no one will tell Daman or Kayla. I'm sure at least Daman would try to stop us if we wanted to buy the slave."

"...A simple 'I don't want to', would have been enough you know," Jonathan pointed out. "Alright, so we rescue 'Golden Head'… then what?"

"Then we head for the mountains," Daniel said.

"You want to search for that mysterious cave?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, I think I might be able to find it. At least find the general direction of it, based on my dream. What do you think?"

Daniel turned to Samantha who nodded before turning to Jonathan, who slowly pulled his gaze away from Samantha to look at Daniel. Jonathan drew a slow breath, his eyes deep in thought before shrugging.

"It's worth a shot."

* * *

_TBC...  
(Oh no, I'm not giving anything away anymore... there's not a lot of chapters left, let it be a surprise...)_


	8. The Rescue

_A/N: And so the plot thickens in this chapter, with Jonathan, Samantha and Daniel's rescue attempt. Will they succeed? Read and find out._

_As always, I had such a fun time writing this. I'm sure that must sound funny, I mean, how much fun can you actually have writing something? It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't feel the same way, but writing really is something I burn for. I've always written and I find a sense of fulfilment when I am able to voice something in words and get my point across. I wish I'd get a book published someday, or maybe write a script for a tv-show/movie or other. That would be fun. :)._

_On the the reviews. You guys rock!_

_gater62 - Daniel almost saying Jack was actually my own error, I almost wrote Jack instead of Jonathan and I thought that it'd fit with Daniel, so I kept it in. :P._

_jesusfreak1334 - Lol! Thank you! I'm not sure how good I am at writing suspense, but at least someone seems to think I'm doing an okay job. Thank you! :)._

_JimBeamer5 - Yeah, I think the alert has been a bit dodgy lately too... Ah well, mine's working now. :). Thanks for the review!_

_dp - Thank you! Excitedly writing more. ;)._

_ALIMOO1971 - :D. I hope you like this too, things do get tricky for our friends here, the cat is out of the bag!_

_?? (five questionmarks) - Thank you! Gosh, you think? I'm not sure I'd be able to be a good writer, but it's definitely something worth thinking about. :)._

_PatriciaS - Thank you! :)._

_HAZMOT - Well, the machine that took their memories (or whatever) is supposed to be permanent. Or, that was the intention at least..._

_SeNedra - Thank you! I hope you like the way this turns out. :P._

_not a zatarc - They're gonna play Bust-a-Teal'c! XD. Sam could have slapped Kayla back, ultimately I didn't think that was very Sam-like though... It would have felt good though ;)._

_Allie108 - Good guess. That's all I can say ;)_

_BettyHall223 - Thank you! :D._

_PapayaK - Thank you! You think so? :)._

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Rescue**

The trio of Jonathan, Samantha and Daniel sneaked through the village under the cover of darkness, careful not to go to near the festivities in the town hall. Jonathan had easily slipped into the lead, Samantha right behind them, both acting, Daniel thought, as if they'd done missions like this one before. That, Daniel figured, was probably true too, seeing as he himself, bringing up the rear, didn't feel too uncomfortable doing this either. It did feel kind of right, in a terrifying sort of way.

They soon came close to the slave barn, ducking behind a wagon to make sure the coast was clear, which it was. Quickly, they snuck over to the barn and stepped inside. A few torches by the door and on a few supporting pillars cast a warm light in the room, the slaves immediately huddled closer to the bars to see the ones who'd just stepped in.

Samantha and Jonathan followed Daniel as he led them over to the fourth cage on the right and looked inside, inside the big man looked up at them, taking in their appearances one by one.

"Um, hi," Daniel began. "Remember me?"

"You are Daniel," the man said, but didn't elaborate any further.

"Ok… I am," Daniel nodded and then pointed to the other two by his side. "This here is Jonathan and Samantha. We're here to rescue you."

"I do not need to be rescued," the big man responded. "I am not in any danger and therefore do not need to be rescued."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jonathan muttered. "Would you just accept our help?"

The big man tilted his head to the side, looking at Jonathan before responding, "Indeed, I will."

"Good. Car-…," Jonathan began, turning in Samantha's direction before stopping himself. "Eh, _Samantha_… would you be so kind as to open the cage?"

Samantha nodded, "Sure, Jack."

Jonathan frowned at her and was about to comment when she turned away from and kneeled by the lock, picking up a thin steel wire and putting it inside the iron lock. Within minutes she'd successfully picked the lock and opened the door to the cell. The big man, nicknamed 'Golden Head' by Jonathan, stepped forward and bowed his head to Samantha.

"Thank you, Samantha."

"Sure. Anytime," Samantha smiled as she closed the door behind him.

The four of them looked at each other, exchanging glances, until Jonathan finally turned to Daniel.

"Shall we leave?"

"Yes. Good idea," Daniel nodded in agreement and the four of them snuck over to the barn gate. Daniel opened the gate and looked outside, he sucked in a deep breath at the sight outside.

"Eh… Jack?" Daniel asked.

Jonathan's head whipped in Daniel's direction, an eyebrow raised.

_Why's everyone calling me Jack?_ Jonathan wondered to himself before asking, "I'm assuming you mean me?"

"Yes," Daniel agreed. "It appears we might have a problem."

"What kind of a problem?"

"A bring-your-pitchforks kind of a problem."

"What?" Jonathan frowned and moved next to Daniel. "Let me see."

Daniel stepped back and let Jonathan peek outside, Jonathan sighed as he saw several men with pitchforks outside, Daman standing at the head of them.

"Step outside, please," Daman said to Jonathan. "I do not want to hurt anyone, but do not think I would hesitate to do so."

Jonathan thought about his options and finally consented, he stepped out first and the others followed his lead.

"Hello," Jonathan said looking at the seven armed men before him. "Is this all for us? Wow, I feel kind of special here. You do know how to make a guy feel wanted..."

"Jonathan," Daman said, his eyes gleaming with undeniable anger. "This is not the time for your jokes."

"Sorry, I thought it was appropriate."

"Silence!" Daman ordered. "You have broken the law. You have freed one of the slaves."

"In all fairness," Jonathan began, holding up his hands. "We didn't remember the law."

"I have had enough of this," Daman said. "Take them to the prison cell, they will spend the night there and think about what they have done."

* * *

Jonathan sighed deeply as he looked around their new cell, it was simple, very simple, with only a few benches along the walls on which to rest, besides from that it was empty.

"Well, isn't this comfy?" Jonathan asked sarcastically, directing a large grin at 'Golden Head', who looked back at him stoically.

"Tough crowd," Jonathan muttered and sat down on one of the benches. "I guess now we wait."

"Couldn't we break out of this cell too?" Daniel asked. "Sam?"

Samantha thought about it, but ultimately shook her head, "I don't think so. This place is guarded, Daniel. And we're unarmed, I don't think we'd get far."

"I do not believe it to be impossible to take these people down," Golden Head said, sitting down on the bench closest to the cell's bars. "I believe we can do it."

"Perhaps," Jonathan agreed. "But let's not take any unnecessary risks. Yet."

"It's just one night too," Samantha pointed out, sitting down next to Jonathan on the bench. "I think we can manage in here."

* * *

As the dawn of the new day came upon them, the four of them were rudely awoken by the slamming of a door.

"I'm up!" Jonathan called as he shot up from the reals of sleep, looking around him with sleepy eyes, he repeated. "I'm up."

"Yes, Jonathan," Daman spoke from the other side of the bars. "I can see that."

"Have you come to let us out?" Jonathan asked, blinking a few times to get the tired haze from his eyes.

"No," Daman said, his dark eyes taking in their appearances as they all sat looking back at him.

"Why not?" Samantha asked. "We've had our punishment, we should be freed."

"And you would be, if releasing a slave was the only problem," Daman agreed. "But that is not the case, now, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, frowning in apprehension.

"I think you know what I mean," Daman said cryptically.

Jonathan sighed, "Oh, to hell with this. Just cut the crap, Daman. We all know something's not right here, and to start with; we want our memories back."

"You want the truth?" Daman asked. "Very well, I can at least give you that."

* * *

That morning, Daman led the four of them up the mountain and to the mysterious cave. Daniel was the first to comment on it, "I've been here before."

"You all have," Daman corrected. "Step inside."

"And what if we don't?" Jonathan asked. "What if we decide to bail on you instead? You're alone, I think we could take you down."

"You would do best not to attempt such a foolish idea," Daman warned and something in his voice had Jonathan believing him. He exchanged a glance with Samantha, who shrugged at him, before walking first in to the cave.

It was a narrow pathway, with jagged rocks on each side of the path and Jonathan kept walking until the cave widened into a larger room.

"Well, I'll be damned," Jonathan muttered as he looked up at the big machine in front of him. The raised platform before him looked familiar, the large orange pillar with a pulsing light did too.

"What is this place?" Samantha whispered next to him.

"I don't know," Daniel responded. "But I've seen it before. I'm sure of it."

"Indeed," Golden Head agreed.

"This, my friends," Daman said as he stepped further in. "is a wondrous piece of technology."

"What does it do?" Daniel asked in amazement.

"It helps me control the villagers," Daman said. "I suppose you should learn the full story. You see, this cave was here long before my people settled below the mountain. It was built by… _Ancients_, I believe that was the name you used for them, Daniel… The Ancients must have been a powerful species, to build a machine like this. It is fascinating really, how something like this can change so many people. Our people have known of the machine's existence since we arrived, informed by locals."

"Were the locals Ancients too?" Daniel asked.

"Perhaps. History does not reveal," Daman responded brusquely. "But for many long years it has helped us."

"What do you mean?" Samantha asked. "Helped you - how?"

"It was my ancestors who first discovered they could handle the power of this machine, in the beginning my family used it only to help our people. We have defeated more then one alien race with this."

"_How_?" Samantha repeated.

"Mind control, Samantha," Daman responded. "I cannot explain it, but my family have for many centuries been able to handle it."

"I'm guessing somewhere along the line your family turned from helping your people to leading them?" Jonathan asked. "Forcing the villagers to be submissive to you?"

"I am not forcing anyone, Jonathan," Daman smirked. "I am merely using this machine to alter their memories according to my wish."

"Alter their memories…," Samantha echoed. "That's what it does, isn't it? It alters the brain waves and memory synapses of others? It's what it's done to us, isn't it? You used it on us to make us forget about our lives."

"Yes," Daman said. "And you are not the first outsiders to whom I have done it."

"Hasn't anyone ever found you out?" Jonathan asked. "Hasn't anyone tried to use the machine against you?"

"Maybe they couldn't," Daniel said, thinking out loud. "Daman's family must have been the only one's who could use it because they have the Ancient gene."

"Perhaps," Daman said. "I do not know how it works, all I know is that I can control this machine and no one else can."

As he finished, the room fell into a tense silence. Daman's smirk spread as he watched the four standing before him.

"I suppose you would wish to find out the truth about yourselves?" Daman finally asked.

"I suppose," Jonathan said with a meek shrug.

"You are Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of SG-1."

"So my name _is_ Jack," 'Jonathan' breathed, glancing at 'Samantha' who smiled up at him.

"Yes," Daman said and then turned to the others. "You are major Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and-"

"Teal'c," the big man interrupted, answering himself.

Sam, Jack and Daniel all turned to look at Teal'c who stoically remained silent.

"Wait," Daniel said, as a thought hit him. "I'm not really marrying Sam then, am I? Oh, thank god. ...Eh, sorry, Sam. No offense."

"None taken," Sam shrugged.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Jack asked, turning back to Daman.

"I figure I have nothing to lose by doing so, it is futile to you anyway. Your memories will never return to you. You see, this machine only takes them away or modifies them, your memories can never be restored to you."

"See, that's where you're wrong, mister," Jack said, pointing his hand in Daniel's direction. "Or did you forget he just told you about one of his memories?"

"Eh, Jack?" Daniel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You said he must be Ancient because only the one's with the Ancient gene could control it. You couldn't have known that unless you remembered it. Geez, am I the only one listening here?" Jack asked and then whipped around to face Daman again. "Look, I'm guessing you're not telling us all this just to please us. You're only letting us know because you're either planning on killing us, or put us through the machine again."

"You are correct. It is obvious to me that the memories altercations did not completely succeed the first time."

"Ah, see… Plan A never works, that's why you got to have a Plan B," Jack joked.

"Yes, and as I rather did like having you as a part of my people, I believe I'm going to ask you to step onto the machine again."

"Well, sorry, Daman, but that won't happen," Jack said and took a step in Daman's direction.

Daman's hand shot up quickly and a flash of blue light hit Jack in the chest, throwing him back across the room.

"_Jack_!" Samantha cried out as he landed only a few feet away from the platform.

Daman immediately swung around to face Sam, Daniel and Teal'c, raising his arm at them threateningly.

"If you would be so kind," Daman said, pointing in the direction of the platform.

They exchanged glances before doing as they'd been asked, Teal'c helped a groaning Jack onto his feet before stepping onto the platform with Sam and Daniel.

"Well, friends, soon you will step into your new parts again, and all will be fine once more," Daman said. "And this will all be a distant memory…"

"Funny…," Jack groaned, a hand holding his tender ribs. "Real funny."

"I thought so," Daman smirked and raised his arm at them. The blue light started shining in his palm before suddenly something slammed into Daman and he fell unconscious to the ground...

* * *

_TBC…_

_Wait... what?_

_What happened to Daman?_

_To those who dislike cliffhangers; I'm sorry! (But not really) ;).  
To those who like cliffhangers: You are very welcome! :)._


	9. The Escape

_A/N: And now we're almost at the end, just one more chapter left after this one. I want you to know that this has been an incredible journey and I've loved every second of it, well...almost any way. :)._

_This chapter has been planned for a very long time, such as one scene where Teal'c does a movie reference, and I have been waiting to share it with you. I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it._

_Reviewers: Man, there's not really a good enough word to describe you, is there? You've made me feel so special and respected through this story. You've given me some lovely praises and it has truly meant a lot._

_remerkaba - Thank you for reviewing! Hm, what can I say? I think Daman is the kind of person that learns form his mistakes, but also, at the same time, I think he's stubborn enough not to realize that the problem might not lie within the machine but in the humans, therefore putting them through the machine again doesn't guarantee it going better. Though, maybe, if Sam and Jack were allowed to be together, they wouldn't be as prone to get back to their real lives. Unfortunately though, this is where the story ends, so to say... _

_not a zatarc - Hurray! :D. I'm kind of pleased about that too, someone had to knock him down, sooner or later, it might as well be sooner. ;). _

_dp - This chapter quick enough for you? ;). What did Jack do? Eh, I'm wondering that too, care to specify what you meant? So many questions, so few answers. If you read you'll find out. :)._

_SeNedra - Oh, I love cliffhangers too, unless you actually have to wait and wait and wait for the continuation... _

_Alwaysapirate - I know, being evil is in my blood! XD._

_ALIMOO1971 - You and your guesses. XD. _

_Kaytee33 - Actually, it wasn't Jack... ;)._

_Disneynut - Thank you! I wasn't sure if the humor would get across, but thank you!_

_Allie108 -_ _Lol, deep breaths, remember? It is indeed someone from the village, though I won't say who._

_BettyHall223 - Yes, well, hanging can be good too. ;). _

_I hope, as always, that my writings will please at least some of you, and know that it means a lot to me to have even a few loyal fans. Now, go read and tell me what you think! Remember, you will only have one more chance to tell me what you think of my story, I'd really appreciate you telling me before it's all over! :D._

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Escape**

As Daman slumped to the floor, Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all turned to look up at the figure who'd appeared where Daman had just stood. Panting slightly, Boupo looked back at them all with wide, scared eyes.

"Boupo," Jack greeted in mild surprise. "Nice timing, buddy."

"Thank you, Jonathan...eh, _Jack_," Boupo grinned back, glancing nervously down at Daman by his feet. "I didn't…"

"No!" Sam said, realizing his silent question. "He's not dead. You just knocked him out."

"And darn good too!" Jack assured, flashing the younger man a wide grin. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Daman told me he was taking you up here, I could not allow him to use you again," Boupo explained.

"Highly appreciated," Jack said and noticing the large unusal stick-like thing the young healer was carrying, Jack pointed at it. "What you got there?"

"Oh, I am uncertain," Boupo said, holding the long, heavy stick awkwardly. "But I believe it is yours?"

"_Mine_?" Jack asked bewildered, eyes wide in surprise.

"It is my weapon," Teal'c said, stepping forward to retrieve the staff from Boupo, who was grateful to get rid of the heavy load. "This is a traditional Jaffa staff weapon."

"Yeah, I knew that," Jack bluffed and Daniel shot him a knowing look which Jack returned with a small grimace and a shrug.

"These are yours too," Boupo said and handed two other weapons to Sam and Jack.

Jack looked down at the weapon in his hand, he wasn't sure how he knew but it was definitely alien. What was the name again? Zup? Zip? Zam? Something to that effect at least. Noting that something was missing, Jack took a hold of Boupo's collar, the younger man looked frightened at the sudden action.

"Where are our P90s?" Jack asked.

"Is this it?" Boupo stuttered fearfully, handing Jack a black rectangular device. "These were all of your original belongings I could find! I do not even know what a P90 is!"

"…Neither do I," Jack confessed slowly, releasing his hold of Boupo's cotton shirt and taking the black device from him, throwing it at Daniel, who barely was able to catch it due to somewhat slow reflexes.

Teal'c stepped forward with an answer once again, "It is a formidable Tau'ri weapon used for both long and short range shooting capable of taking out many objects and enemies."

Jack slowly turned to Teal'c, unsure as to how he could know that, "...Thank you. Now, what do you guys say to getting out of this place, it gives me the creeps."

Without waiting for an answer, Jack began striding towards the exit, but stopped when Daniel called him back.

"Jack! Shouldn't we do something else before leaving?"

"Like what, Daniel?" Jack asked, turning back towards Daniel with a frustrated frown. He really wasn't in the mood to stay in this place, he wanted to get out, figure out a way to get their memories back and head home… wherever that was.

"Shouldn't we destroy the machine or something?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel's right, Jack," Sam stepped, stepping forward. "If we destroy it there's a high possibility that the effects of the machine will wear off, not only on us but on the villagers as well."

"Perhaps. But you forget," Jack began. "that the only one who can control this device is currently knocked out cold on the ground."

Daniel lifted a hand, shaking it in Jack's direction, "No, not the only one, Jack. Remember, all with the Ancient gene could use the machine."

"And do we know any other Ancients?" Jack asked sarcastically, not expecting a positive response.

"Boupo. He's Daman's cousin, they share the same blood and therefore also the same Ancient gene," Daniel answered with a grin, pointing at the healer. Boupo's green eyes widened even further as he frantically started shaking his head.

"It is forbidden," he muttered. "I cannot."

"But you can do it, can you not? I mean, actually control the device?" Daniel asked hopefully, looking intently at Boupo who finally nodded in consent. "Then do it. If not for us, do it for your people."

"I… I do not know how," Boupo confessed.

Sam crossed the room, her long dress following her every move, and kneeled by Daman, she raised his limp arm and slowly pulled off the ring from his hand. As she stood back up, she presented the ring to Boupo, "Perhaps this can help."

Boupo looked at the odd-shaped ring before nodding, taking it from her and putting it on his own hand.

"Try pointing it at the machine," Sam suggested. "And then…"

"Think about destroying it," Jack finished for her. "Just think it, and it will happen."

Boupo looked uncertain at their suggestion but did as he'd been told. The ring device started shining an ice cold blue the moment he pointed it at the machine and the pulsing light within the pillar became more frantic, pumping faster and faster. The tiny spikes of blue within the core widened until there was more blue then orange within the pillar.

"Anyone else think we should duck for cover?" Jack asked, Daniel and Sam nodded and together with Teal'c, the four of them dove behind a few large rocks on the side. Boupo remained in his place, watching the pillar in fascinating as it pulsed faster and faster, the movement almost too fast for the eye to see.

Jack and Sam peeked up from behind the rock, watching the event as well, before noticing the subtle change in the pillar. The light stopped pulsing for a fraction of a second and Jack pushed Sam's head down behind the stone again, covering her body with his.

A loud explosion echoed through the cave, and as the sound died down, Jack jumped from his position. Looking up, Jack felt relieved to see Boupo in one piece and the machine gone. There was no debris from the explosion, but the entire pillar was missing. The only thing still intact in the cave was the platform.

"Incredible," he heard Boupo mutter and Jack moved over to the stunned healer, shaking him out of his shock.

"Come on," Jack said. "Let's go."

"But, what shall we do about Daman?" Boupo asked, pointing at the figure who still lay motionless. Jack regarded the man as well, thinking about his options before shaking his head.

"We leave him. Come now, let's go."

Pulling Boupo's sleeve, Jack moved towards the exit, the rest of SG-1 following him close behind.

Left alone in the cave, Daman finally regained consciousness, rubbing the back of his head to rid it of the pain. Looking around, he noticed his solitude and growled in anger, they would not get away from him. His growl turned into a confident smile of illwill, if they wished to escape there was only one place they would have gone, and Daman knew exactly how to stop them.

* * *

Moving down the mountain slowly, Jack tested the ground to make sure it was safe before leading his people further. Slipping on some moss, he was saved from falling by Teal'c's strong hand around his arm.

"Thanks, Teal'c," Jack said, glancing in the bigger man's direction before continuing his descent.

They climbed down for another thirty minutes, before finally reaching the forest below the mountain. Jack stopped to wait for the others to climb down to his position and scanned the outline of the trees with his watchful eyes, mindful of any possible enemies.

"Well, this route should have taken us far away from the village," Jack said and turned back to the others. "Now we just have to figure out a way to get out of here."

Teal'c stepped forward, "We must get to the Stargate."

Jack frowned up at the big man, "The _what_, now?"

"It is an interstellar gate which transports you from one location to another through an established wormhole," Teal'c explained.

Jack nodded slowly a few minutes, before offering his thoughts on it, "…I have no idea what you just said… Still, it sounds familiar."

Pleased with the response, Teal'c smiled and bowed his head at Jack. Daniel, however, was anything but pleased by this situation and took a step in Teal'c's direction.

"Wait a minute, Teal'c," Daniel said and waited until Teal'c turned in his direction before continuing. "How come you remember? _When_ did you remember?"

"I remember everything. I have for quite some time now," Teal'c confessed.

"You mean you knew all about us while we were stuck in that cell before? And you didn't tell us then?" Jack asked.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head. "I was waiting for the opportune moment."

Jack exchanged a confused glance with Sam while Daniel stared openly at Teal'c. Noticing their confusion, Teal'c raised his chin and commented, "If you had your memories you would have understood the comic story I just made."

Jack looked at him in disbelief, "Yeah… sure. Bet it was great."

"Indeed."

Clapping his hands together, Jack changed the topic, "Alright then. Let's not stand around here for small talk. Come on!"

As he finished, he started jogging away into the forest, the others moved to follow him but before they could do so, Teal'c raised his hand and pointed in the opposite direction.

"The Stargate is in this direction, O'Neill."

Jack halted and mentally cursed before turning back, jogging back to them.

"Right. I knew that, I was just testing you, ol' buddy," Jack said, patting Teal'c's shoulder and jogging in the direction Teal'c had pointed him. Teal'c raised one of his eyebrows in amusement before following. Daniel, Sam and Boupo all exchanged confused glances before moving to catch up with the others.

* * *

As they made their way through the forest, they slowed down, knowing that to get to the Stargate they had to move past the village, and they couldn't be certain that the villagers hadn't turned against them. They had at least not been too happy to see them last time around, as they could all remember. Along the way, Teal'c had begun telling the others of SG-1 about their lives, the SGC and about all the planets they'd visited, their memories seemed to be returning slowly, all that was, except for Sam's.

"Major Carter," Teal'c began, hoping that maybe his words would infuse a memory in her, he was a long way from giving up his hope about her, "when you are nervous you tend to chew your bottom lip, you also tend do this when you are about to eat blue jello. When you are frustrated, you tap your fingers on the tabletop four times. Whenever Colonel O'Neill enters your lab and starts touching your technological devices you tap five times."

Amazed by the seemingly insignificant details he'd just revealed, Sam looked up at Teal'c, "You must really know us well, Teal'c."

Turning back to her, his gaze softened as he nodded in consent, "Indeed. We are all very close, you are all like family to me."

"Yeah, well, let's save this family party until we get home," Jack said, his voice gruff. "We've got company."

They hurried to crouch down behind several trees and looked back, behind them a large number of villagers were running in their direction, carrying weapons of different kinds. Jack raised his Zat, he'd finally remembered the name, and pointed it at the approaching villagers. Leading the villagers was Daman and Kayla, both carrying two black weapons.

"He's back!" Jack called, knowing that the others knew what he meant. SG-1 and Boupo saw how Daman raised the black weapon, pointing it in their direction, and firing. Bullets flew at them in a mad frenzy, piercing the trees around them with a deadly quality.

"_That's_ a P90!" Jack called before aiming his Zat at them and firing.

Next to him he could hear Teal'c's staff weapon load and firing it's plasma energy shots as well. Sam, on Jack's other side, followed their example and opened fire too. They hit several villagers who fell unconscious or wounded to the ground, but when Daman raised his weapon again, SG-1 and Boupo had to duck so as to not get hit.

"We have to get out of here!" Jack cried out, seeing that their enemies were approaching fast, if they didn't get out now, they wouldn't get a second chance. "Sam, provide cover fire!"

"Yes, s- Jack!" Sam called back, shooting several shots with her Zat, as Teal'c, Daniel and Boupo stood to move. Daman fired his weapon at the same time and one of the bullets pierced Boupo's back, the young healer fell to the forest floor, Daniel kneeling by his side. Sam took aim and finally managed to hit Daman, who fell to the ground unconscious from the zat, Kayla glanced at Daman's body before turning her rage on Sam.

"Daniel!" Jack called as the bullets hit the tree Sam was hiding behind.

Daniel looked up from Boupo, "He's dead, Jack…"

"Dammit," Jack muttered. "Alright, let's move. NOW!"

They quickly ran further through the woods, the surrounding area was starting to look familiar to Jack, and the memories of their first arrival flooded him. As they reached the edges of the forest, Jack saw the long, wide field of knee-high grass and knew that the cover the forest had provided would soon be at an end. A bullet suddenly imprinted itself in the tree by Jack's head and Jack ducked, seeing the others to the same.

"Alright, here's the plan!" Jack called. "When we get to the device, Sam, you head for the DHD-"

"What's a DHD?" Sam asked in confusion, though her eyes was telling another story. Jack wasn't sure why she felt the need to lie about remembering but knew that she wasn't about to tell him any time soon either.

Another round of bullets hit the trees in their proximity and Jack felt his temper running short, "Stop playing stupid, Carter, it doesn't suit you!"

Sam's head whipped in his direction and Jack could see the pain in her eyes, he hadn't meant to call her Carter instead of Sam, but he had, and from her eyes he knew she understood the implications of that one word.

"Yes, _sir_," Sam responded coldly, still staring at him and Jack could see her eyes hardening as she receded into the shell that was Major Carter, always professional and abiding by the rules. Jack sighed deeply, feeling like a jackass. He opened his mouth to apologize, but any apology he might have had was wiped from his mind as a bullet pierced Sam and she fell backwards, her body rustling the leaves as she landed hard.

"Sam!" Daniel called out from his hiding place as Jack crawled over to her. She lay staring up at the crowns of the trees, her breathing irregular, but at least she was alive. Jack could see the blood oozing from a wound by her hip, trailing a thin pattern down her side, coloring her cotton dress dark red.

"Carter," Jack said, shaking her shoulder to pull her from her shock. "_Sam_!"

She turned to him slowly and he continued, "Can you walk?"

She nodded, not saying a word, and sat up on the ground with his help. Jack helped pull her into a standing position, barely aware of the cover fire Teal'c was providing, as he watched her sway. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to support her and her eyes whipped up, meeting his. Her pained blue eyes was enough for Jack to know that her time was limited, she needed help and she needed it fast.

"Teal'c!" Jack cried out, not turning his gaze away from Sam's. "Give us cover fire. Daniel, you dial Earth and use the radio to tell Hammond to lower the iris so that we can step through."

Acting out his order, Daniel immediately sprinted from his hiding place and onto the field. Jack put Sam's arm around his shoulder and one arm around her waist.

"Come on, let's walk," he urged her and walked with her as quickly as possible onto the field. As they passed through the soft grass, Jack could hear her pained whimpers and sped up his pace, practically carrying her. He heard Teal'c's fast steps behind him just as Sam's weight began slipping from his hold. He held onto her so that she wouldn't fall to the ground, but almost lost his own balance by doing so.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called out. "Do you require my assistance with major Carter?"

"It's fine, T," Jack growled between clenched teeth. He changed his hold on Sam and hefted her into his arms, carrying the now unconscious major. He checked to make sure she actually was breathing before moving forward. A few meters away stood the Stargate, and as he moved closer the vortex swooshed out before settling into the form of an established wormhole.

Jack heard Daniel talking into the radio Boupo had given them earlier, glad that they had remembered what the device did. He glanced down at Sam quickly, her breaths coming shallower and shorter and looked up just in time to see Daniel nod at him. Without further hesitation, Jack climbed the stairs to the Gate and stepped through the event horizon.

* * *

Stepping out into Stargate Command, Jack wasn't sure if he'd ever been more relieved to see the place. Below the ramp stood general Hammond, watching his team with a surprised expression. Daniel and Teal'c stepped through as well, the wormhole disengaging behind SG-1 as they did, and together they descended the ramp just as Hammond spoke, "What's going on here?"

Jack saw the general take in their simple cotton clothes, which were far from the standard BDU's they usually wore on away missions, before his gaze landed on the unconscious major in Jack's arms.

"Sir, with all due respect-" Jack began.

Hammond quickly interrupted, "-she needs medical attention. Understood, colonel. Medics!"

At his call, the white clad medics hurriedly stepped forward with a gurney, Jack carefully placed Sam down on it and watched as she was wheeled out of the Gate room.

Hammond turned back to the remaining members of SG-1, "Could someone tell me what the hell happened on this planet? I thought you said everything was fine."

"It was, sir," Daniel agreed. "But things changed… they're still changing actually."

"I don't think I follow you, dr. Jackson," Hammond said then, frowning at the young archeologist.

"Perhaps it is wisest not to return to PX9-653 for a couple of days, it is most likely that the effects of the machine will indeed take a few days to diminish," Teal'c offered.

"Alright, go have yourselves checked up in the infirmary, I'll put your debriefing on hold for now," Hammond said. "Though, I have a feeling this is going to be interesting."

"Yes, sir," Jack said and without another word he followed the pathway of the medics, Daniel and Teal'c easily falling into step behind him.

"I do not think you need to worry, O'Neill," Teal'c said after they'd walked silently through the corridors a few minutes and no one else was in their proximity. "I am sure major Carter will be restored to full health, given time."

"Yeah, sure," Jack said distantly. "Still doesn't mean I'm gonna stop worrying about her, T."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a glance, knowing that for the moment it was best to let Jack deal with things his own way.

* * *

_A/N: And next is the conclusion of this story, obviously an S/J-centered conclusion.___

NOTE: I'm telling you this since one unhappy reviewer already pointed it out oh so kindly... I know neither Daman nor Kayla should be able to use a P90, I am well aware of that fact, I'm not stupid. Believe me when I say that was planned and that Daniel will offer an idea for that in the next chapter, as it was planned. I'm saying this so that people will understand I'm not brainless, nor do I appreciate flaming. Constuctive critism is great, it can teach you a lesson from which you can choose to learn from or not, flaming on the other hand, is unncesserary to all involved partners. I'm just saying... 


	10. Confirmation

_A/N: Alright, I just want to step up and admit that I might have overreacted a bit over the anonymous review and I want you to know that I did not in any way want to draw attention to myself in an "oh, I got a bad review, please come help me" kind of way, and I'm really sorry if that's the way it came across. In fact, I feel very blessed to have come so far with only one snarky comment. So, let's leave it at that, and move on! :)_

_Second of all, I'd like to mention, for those that don't know, that actor Don S. Davis passed away June 29th. I haven't mentioned it earlier, because Hammond hasn't really had a bigger part until now. Don was an amazing actor, I never knew him or met him, but he seemed like one of those people you'd have liked to have known. To us Stargate fans he will always be remembered as general George Hammond, my personal favorite general (aside from Jack, season 8 and onwards)_

_To my reviewers: This chapter, being the last, I dedicate to you! I hope you like it and that it does justice to the rest of the story!_

_. - Alright, here's how I see it. You're allowed to have your opinion, but you don't have to express it in such a snarky manner. I am aware that I could have written a few parts of the previous chapter differently, but in the end I was very pleased with it, which might have contributed to my hurt emotions at seeing your review. The P90s didn't shoot that many bullets, if you count the times it's not that many. Daman uses his gun, I think, three times, shooting off a few rounds. Kayla uses her's twice. I never specify how many bullets are fired and therefore, it is possible. I know it might have sounded like they emptied their guns in one sweep, but in reality I didn't think they fired that many bullets. As for SG-1 being able to get out, sure they could have, but it didn't fit in with the story, and that's the only explanation I could give, sorry if it wasn't what you liked._

_ALIMOO1971 - Thank you! :)._

_JustHorsenAround010 - Well, after this chapter you won't be left hanging, I promise you! :)._

_Aveo amacus - S/J conclusion :)._

_Alwaysapirate - Any other stories planned? Not at the moment, I'm planning on taking some time off , me and a friend are writing a book that has to be finished for school. Any betas? Hm... unfortunately, I don't know any... I think I would have needed one myself actually, but I don't know where to look. XD._

_SeNedra - Aw, thank you! That was real sweet, hope this ending is satisfying, I'm sure I'll have people "complaining"..._

_HAZMOT - I liked Boupo too, at first when I planned the story, I wasn't sure what part he would play in the end, and ultimately... he saved SG-1 but died. I think I probably should have let the poor guy live, he'd have deserved it... Well, actually... I'm not sure if there's much retribution here, but Jack probably wish he could do more._

_JimBeamer5 - Hehe, well, in truth, I'm not sure who all of them are either. I wish I could have explored it a bit more, but unfortunately this chapter was already running long, so I cut some of that actually._

_not a zatarc - Yes! someone who understood why Sam played dumb! :). Of course she remembered being Jack's subordinate, she just didn't want to be major Carter at that time, she wanted to be Samantha._

_Allie108 - Sam was lying, or acting dumb, as I responded above, because she didn't really want to remember the life where she and Jack couldn't be together. She realized that fact early on, where as Jack caught on to the superior-subordinate thing later on in the game, I think Jack understood it though, when he realized why she did it._

_Kaytee33 - Hehe, thank you! Sam remembered alright, she just didn't want to admit it, as I've written above. :P._

_dp - You're welcome! :). Well, I wish I could say it was sad to write this chapter, but it wasn't. The sad part comes now, when everything's done and you know you'll never hit the "New Chapter"-button anymore..._

_?? (five questionmarks) - I thought it was very Jack-like too, which is why I wrote it. XD. A sequel? Oh, ... I hadn't thought of that, actually._

_Nyx Ro - I just wanted to add a final thank you to you too! :)._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Confirmation**

Stepping through the Gate, Jack donned his best grim expression_,_ prepared for anything. He gripped his new P90 tight, just in case. As he stepped out he looked out at the wide field of grass, stretching out before him. On his left were the same dull ruins, just like the first time he'd stepped through.

In truth, Jack didn't like this at all, he'd rather have let Colonel Reynolds and his team do this but knew, deep inside, that this mission was one he had to carry out. Behind him, Daniel and Teal'c stepped through the Stargate and joined the colonel, also looking out at the landscapes around them.

"Feels a bit weird… doesn't it?" Daniel asked, his voice distant, his eyes far away in memories.

"Of what do you speak, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, tilting his head in Daniel's direction, waiting patiently for the reply.

Daniel kept his gaze forward, taking his time to form the right words before explaining, "This is a part of another life. Not ours… and yet, ours."

Jack adjusted his cap and put on his dark shades, trying to ignore Daniel's words as good as he could, for it rang almost too true in his ears, before descending the stairs.

"Come on, let's see if we'll be shot at or not. I hope we're not spoiled on the way, I'm hoping for a pleasant surprise."

* * *

Stepping into the village, they were met with the same inquisitive looks as their first visit but Jack paid no heed to them, walking steadily further into town, waiting for something to happen. His hand still clutched his P90 and he was prepared to shoot down anyone that came too close for his liking, he was really not in the mood to be political about it. If he had to, he'd shoot, end of story. And not for his own sake either, he'd do it for Sama-… _Carter,_ he reminded himself.

With an inaudible sigh, Jack squared his shoulders and kept walking. If Teal'c and Daniel noticed his sudden tension, Jack was pleased to see they didn't comment on it.

"Daniel?" a cautious voice asked from the side and all three spun around to face the young man who jumped at having a P90 and a staff weapon aimed at him.

Daniel recognized the man and took a step forward, "Gilead?"

Gilead visibly relaxed at being recognized, but his eyes nervously glanced down at the P90 still aimed at him, before turning his gaze back to Daniel.

"How are you… feeling?" Daniel asked.

"I am fine, we all are. Or at least, we will be in time. It has been four days since you left and a lot has happened in that time, memories have returned to us that we never thought would come, and we have learned to separate the truth from the lies."

"That's always a good quality," Jack pointed out sarcastically.

"Three years ago, when a few people arrived through the…the…," Gilead began, wanting to explain something to the three members of SG-1.

"Stargate?" Daniel offered when words failed Gilead.

"Yes, Stargate. Daman used his ring to render them unconscious, we were uncertain as to how and why he did so and he explained it to us, he explained it all. How he was going to use the machine against them to get more people under his rule, when we told him we would not agree to it, he told us that it did not concern him. He said he had already used it on us before, and now would do it again as soon as he was done and there was nothing we could do because we would not remember any of it, not the aliens arriving through the Stargate, not his words… And he was right. Until now, that is."

"He told you because he knew the machine would alter your memories to whatever he wanted," Daniel said, understanding what Gilead was telling them. "He was so confident you would never regain your memories that he took became overconfident."

"Yes, and now, with our memories back, I am glad he did. It has made a lot of us see the tricks he has been playing us for such a long time, and he will never do it again. We are free now," Gilead said as his wife Alysia cautiously stepped up next to him, tenderly taking his hand in hers and smiling at him.

"Speaking of which," Jack said. "Where is the son of a-… I mean, where is Daman?"

"He and his sister have been locked inside a guarded cell, they will not be able to escape now. Their power has diminished and none remain to take their side. All want to see them suffer for what they put us through."

"You and me both," Jack muttered before turning to Teal'c. "Alright, I'm going to pay a little visit to our friends."

"Give them my best," Teal'c said, inclining his head and Jack smiled at the joke.

Jack walked off as Teal'c turned back around just as Garrick stepped forward with two P90s in his arms, holding them out to Teal'c, "I believe these are yours."

Teal'c bowed his head and took the weapons from Garrick with a gentle smile before turning to hear Daniel and Gilead's discussion.

"Daniel, all the slaves in our village were from other worlds," Teal'c heard Gilead say. "They do not belong here, they are having difficulty fitting into this world, when their memories belong in another."

"I understand," Daniel said. "I'm sure we'll be able to help them get home. Don't worry, Gilead, we'll fix this."

"You already have," Gilead said. "And we all owe you great thanks for what you did for our people, we are forever in your debt. We also would like you to know that the body of Boupo was found and buried, if you would like to pay your respects, I could take you to the site."

"Thank you, Gilead," Daniel said, glancing at Teal'c. "I think we'd like that, we have a few thanks to say ourselves."

* * *

Jack opened the wooden door and stepped into the prison, two guards with sharp spears stood in front of the prison cell furthest away and Jack walked over, peeking in at the two characters within the cell. Jack was happy to see Daman and Kayla looking haggard, their faces were dirty as was their clothes and Jack couldn't help but wonder, from the smell, if they'd been to a pig sty lately. Upon seeing him, both Daman and Kayla shot up from the floor facing him with unconcealed fury.

"Well, well," Jack said, not attempting to put strain on his own amusement. "What have we here?"

"Jonathan," Daman growled, squinting his eyes tightly. "Get us out of here."

"Now, why would I do that?" Jack asked in mock surprise, deciding that his mood was suddenly all too cheerful not to play along for a while.

"Because, unlike the villagers, you have a heart. You have a conscious."

"Darned proud of it too."

"Jack," Kayla said, stepping forward. Jack turned his attention on her as she gripped the bars tight, her face mere inches away from his. She smiled seductively and watched his expression closely, "Please, help us."

Jack's smirk grew and Kayla's faltered as Jack took a step back from her. Jack looked between the two siblings a minute before shaking his head, "I think you're right where you're supposed to be. You look so at home in there, I don't want to move you."

Kayla's fury returned momentarily before something flashed in her eyes, something Jack couldn't quite place but knew that whatever she might say next wouldn't be good. Kayla's smile returned as she asked, "Tell me, how is Samantha?"

Jack's smirk vanished as he stared at Kayla, he knew his face wasn't neutral, as it should be for a military leader, but then again, he didn't really care. He wanted her to see his reaction and as her smile was just about to widen, Jack smiled in return. Seeing his smile, Kayla was momentarily confused.

"Carter's fine," Jack said, still smiling. "She's a tough gal, she's been through worse. She'll heal just fine from the wound. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home. Oh, and by the way," here he leaned closer to Kayla. "you were a terrible wife. A good cook, I'll give you that, but a terrible wife."

* * *

"-And in conclusion," Daniel stated, taking a deep breath after his lengthy explanation to Hammond. "I believe they'll be just fine, they're already progressing and are making plans to build that watermill. I'm sure this new alliance will work better then the last. And the aliens previously under Daman's control not belonging in Batan have been sent home to their respective worlds."

Daniel looked up at the general where he sat at the head of the table in the briefing room, resting his elbows on the tabletop and looking intently at Daniel.

"Good," Hammond nodded, taking in the archeologist's words. This was the second briefing about their mission, and George was still trying to come to sense with everything. "There's just one thing I wonder, dr. Jackson."

"What's that?"

"Why you weren't as affected as the others," Hammond explained.

"Oh, ah… I think that has to do with our physiology," Daniel explained. "Remember that time we got memory stamps a few years back? And we were given other identities?"

Hammond nodded in understanding and Daniel continued, "Well, I think it was the same here. That time we were remembering things from home too, this wasn't really any different. It just took a longer time this time around, it took me about two full days before my memory was entirely restored."

"Mine too," Jack echoed, just to have something to add to the conversation.

"I remembered in a much shorter amount of time," Teal'c added, raising his chin. "Already before Daniel Jackson came to visit me in the cell I knew I did not belong it that world, though I was unsure as to what extent. I was aware of another presence within my body that told me to kel'no'reem in order to survive. Later, when Daniel Jackson arrived, I began remembering my friends and my life. I have remembered all since that time."

"And what about the weapons?" Hammond asked. "You said the villagers could use the P90s?"

"Actually, sir," Daniel began. "It was just Daman and Kayla who used them. And it's actually quite interesting. You see, I believe that is because of the machine as well. Daman was clearly able to change someone's memories, but I also believe he was able to take them and make them his own. The fact that he had already separated our weapons from the rest of our belongings tells me that he was curious about them from the start, he must have taken a memory from one of us on how to use it, told Kayla about it and… well, we know what happened then."

"Alright," Hammond said. "I guess that is that then. Good job, people. Now, tell me, how's major Carter?"

"I believe she was released from the infirmary and went home an hour ago, general Hammond," Teal'c responded.

"Very well," Hammond said and stood from his chair, Jack following his movement in silent obedience. George noticed his 2IC's unusual silence and turned to Jack.

"Colonel, are you feeling alright?"

"Fine, sir," Jack guaranteed distantly, not meeting the general's eyes. "Fine and dandy."

"If you say so. You gentlemen have a nice afternoon now. Dismissed," with that, George turned and walked into his office. Jack watched as the door closed behind the general, leaving him, Daniel and Teal'c alone in the briefing room.

"Lunch?" Daniel asked casually.

"Indeed I believe that to be a very good idea."

"Jack?"

Jack hesitated a second, looking down at the file in his hand before looking back up at Daniel and Teal'c, "You guys go on without me, I'll just have a little… chat with the general."

Jack knew Teal'c understood as the big man bowed his head and turning to Daniel, Jack saw a sympathetic look in the young man's blue eyes.

"Have you decided what to do?" Daniel asked. He didn't need to say it out loud, but Jack knew what he was talking about, or rather…_ who._

"Yeah," Jack breathed. "I'm going to hand him my report, on time for once."

Jack saw that his attempt at dodging the topic was anything but appreciated as Daniel sighed and looked up at him through his glasses, "That's not what I meant, Jack."

"I know," Jack said with a final shrug and sighed. "What _can_ I do?"

With that he turned to the general's office and extended his hand for the door knob, he stopped and hesitated a brief second before gathering the courage he needed and stepping through, gently closing the door behind him. Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a glance before leaving the briefing room in silence.

* * *

"Colonel?" Hammond asked as Jack closed the door behind him. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"Actually, yes, sir," Jack nodded and walked over to stand in front of Hammond's desk, fidgeting with one of the pen's on the desk. "I wanted to give you this."

Jack handed Hammond the file, the general looked down at the report with a confused frown before looking up at the colonel again.

"I know, on time… shocking," Jack joked with a swift grin.

Hammond opened the file and skimmed the report while Jack started fingering a loose thread on the sleeve of his blue BDU shirt.

"Colonel," Hammond said after a few minutes, startling Jack from his fingering. "Sit down."

Jack sat down in one of the chairs before the desk, trying to act as if he was comfortable, sinking into it as if he was at home. George placed the file down on his desk, clasped his hands atop of it and looked at Jack with expectant eyes.

"…General?" Jack asked, his eyes flickering around the space between them in confusion.

"Want to tell me about it instead, son?" Hammond asked and there was something about his tone that told Jack that the general already knew more then he was letting on, then again, he usually did.

Jack knew that playing the dumb colonel wouldn't get him far and so clapped his hands down on his knees, leaning forward and finally asked, "Permission to speak freely?"

"Always."

Jack nodded and continued, "Some things happened back on PX9-653 that were… unprofessional. Feelings were admitted that shouldn't have been and as you will see that I've written in my report, our behavior towards each other were far from a superior and his subordinate."

"You had lost your memories, I believe this falls in the category of alien influence, son."

Jack looked up at Hammond with wide brown eyes, surprised to hear he was so understanding about it. Seeing Jack's confusion, Hammond said, "I am already aware of what transpired on PX9-653, colonel. Major Carter mentioned it all in her report."

"She did?" Jack asked before he could stop himself. "I mean, of course she did."

Jack hid any further surprise from Hammond, wondering why Carter had written about it. He distinctly remembered after they'd been restored from Thera and Jonah and their agreement to keep it in the past, deciding not to mention it in any reports. Then again, Jack reminded himself, this situation might be similar, it wasn't the same.

"Colonel?" Hammond asked, seeing Jack recede into himself. "Might I ask, what do you plan on doing about this?"

"I… don't know," Jack confessed truthfully, his eyes shining with emotional pain and exasperation. "But I know what I would like to do."

George nodded in understanding, taking in the battered look on Jack's face. George sighed to himself, he'd always cared a great deal about his people, SG-1 would forever have a special place in his heart, and though he might sometimes act as if he didn't know, the feelings between colonel O'Neill and major Carter was not lost on the older general.

Nonetheless, George had never seen any time when he didn't trust both of them to keep a professional distance to it and so he'd never done anything about it. After having read major Carter's report and knowing what a fascinating read the colonel's report was sure to be, George was aware that he might have to change his approach on them. If things changed he would have to report it, no matter how little he might want it, it was his responsibility.

"Jack," George said, making it clear that this was off the record. "The consequences of a relationship between the two of you while you are both in active duty might be a happy one for the both of you, but professionally that decision will follow you through out your entire careers. There will always be people talking about your capability, wondering if you can do these things, one of you would have to lose their job. And regardless, if what happened on the planet came out, it would haunt you both until one or both of you retire."

"I know," Jack nodded, and Hammond could see the unmasked sorrow before it was masked by indifference. Jack looked up at Hammond, "I'm well aware of the consequences, George."

"Very well then," Hammond nodded. "Let me know what you decide to do. Now, colonel, I believe you have a week off, you should use that time to relax… think about stuff. I'll see you when you get back. Dismissed."

* * *

Sam walked _-_ or more like_ limped -_ around her house, a crutch helping her get around. Her hip still burned with pain but it was receding steadily and she was actually enjoying having a few days off in the privacy of her home. For the first time in a very long time, she didn't feel like being at the SGC. She didn't want to face the colonel right now, if she did, she feared it would be too hard to push her feelings to the back of her mind.

She remembered her wary feelings while being without memories and knew that she should have listened to that instinct, after the kisses she'd shared with Jack on PX9-653, she had a hard time getting them off her mind. She'd tried for well over six hours to forget what had transpired, forget about the contentment of being draped in Jack's arms, forget the feel of his lips against hers…

Sam shook her head, those were the exact thoughts she had to stay away from if she was to be able to go back to being 'major Carter' around him.

Making her way through her kitchen, her silent pondering was interrupted by her door bell ringing. Sam couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips, she knew who it was without checking. She ran her hand through her short hair in nervousness, she'd cut it shortly after being released from the infirmary so it was now it's usual short style.

_The luxury of oblivion_, Sam thought to herself as she made her way to the door, her crutch in hand, _was never meant for me_.

She opened the door, and sure enough, outside stood colonel Jack O'Neill, an innocent grin on his face and two fishing poles slung over his shoulder.

"Ja- sir," Sam greeted, aware of her almost slip up, hoping Jack hadn't noticed.

Unfortunately for Sam, Jack was in a playful mood and he mock-frowned as he responded, "Jasir? I don't think my name's Jasir, were you expecting someone else, Carter?"

"Very funny, sir," Sam said, giving him an indulging smile.

"You cut your hair," Jack noted.

Sam glanced up and smiled sheepishly, only shrugging in response. They stood silently, both watching each other, waiting for the other to speak. Sam tilted her head slightly, and Jack copied her movement.

"What are you doing here, sir?" Sam asked eventually, when the silence was almost deafening to her.

Jack and his deep brown eyes watched her for a few silent moments before he asked, with one of the softest voices she'd ever heard him use, "Would you like to go fishing with me?"

His question caught Sam off guard, even though she'd seen the fishing poles, and she hesitated with her answer.

"Sir…I…" she stumbled, unsure what to say or do.

Jack noticed how she chewed on her lip and commented, "You're nervous."

Sam shot him a look, "How did you- I chewed on my lip, didn't I?"

"Yep, and seeing as there's no blue jello around…"

"Sir," Sam began, taking a deep breath to steel herself. "I don't think I can…"

"Why not?"

"Sir, are you asking me because you know I'll say no?"

Jack cleared his throat and shifted his weight on his feet, "Actually, no. I was hoping you'd say yes."

"But we can't," Sam pointed out.

"Can't fish?" Jack asked. "Oh, come now, Samantha, if you don't know how to use a pole, I'll teach you."

"It's not funny, sir," Sam said, her blue eyes telling him all he needed to know.

Jack nodded slowly in agreement, "It's not. But it's what we both need."

"Sir?"

"Carter…," Jack said, searching for the right words. "Last time we lost our memories, we were awkward around each other for a very long time, anytime we've confronted our emotions one way or another, we've been awkward. I don't want that. I know we can't be together now, but someday we can. And until then, I'd like for us to… not be awkward."

"And fishing will help us with that?"

Jack smile widely, "You bet it will!"

Sam laughed gently at him and directed a soft smile towards him, "Someday, huh? When the job's not in the way?"

Jack nodded in confirmation, "Someday. And don't forget about your hair."

Sam frowned in confusion, "My hair? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Oh, it means a lot, Carter," Jack said, his voice happy and soft. "It has to be long, you see."

Sam laughed at him and nodded, "Alright, I suppose I could go for that. … Does that mean your hair will be long too?"

Jack smiled, "Not a chance."

Sam laughed again and Jack watched her intently until her eyes met his and though her laugh faded away, her smiled remained.

"What do you say?" Jack asked.

Sam took a deep breath, "Alright. But we can't go far, I'm still injured, you know."

"Oh, it's not the place that matters, Carter, it's the fishing. We could fish in the park across the street, if you'd like."

"I think we can go a bit further then that, sir," Sam smiled, taking her keys and closing the door behind her, locking it as she did.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady," Jack said jokingly, indicating his truck.

Sam smiled and limped forwards, aware of the protective warm hand Jack held at her lower back, prepared to help her if she tripped. Jack opened the car door for her and helped her in, before discarding the fishing poles in the back of the truck and climbing into the driver's seat next to her.

"Shall we?" Jack asked and Sam was aware he was asking to make sure she hadn't changed her mind.

Sam smiled, "Yes. Let's go fishing."

* * *

_A/N: And that's the end of this story. The end isn't too AU-ish, but could still imply AU. Then again, who knows?_

_All that talk about Sam having long hair when they can be together reminds me that... Sam has long hair now (see: Ark of Truth, Continuum and SGA season 4), could that mean anything as far as S/J-ship goes? :P._

Alright, we've now come to the sad goodbye. As a writer, I must say that you've been very wonderful readers and reviewers, honestly you have. It means a lot to me that so many people have commented, and all so very kindly too.

As I responded in one review, I'm taking some time off from now, except for the occasional chapter to my S/J one shot series, because I have a book to finish with one of my friends as a school project.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, even though there wasn't a romantic ending here, I'm sure we'll see one sooner or later. Though Continuum offered us nothing major (yes, I've seen it), I'm sure there will be something further down the line, maybe in the third movie (if it gets picked up. I hope!).

And even though we might not see each other for a while, I hope to be back with a Stargate story some time later this fall, when my book is done and all. Until then: See you later, folk! Have a nice time and enjoy life to whatever extent you can! :D.


End file.
